• Journal of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.37-43
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• 2015

This paper presents a detailed procedure for a nonlinear soil-structure interaction of a seismically isolated NPP(Nuclear Power Plant) structure using the boundary reaction method (BRM). The BRM offers a two-step method as follows: (1) the calculation of boundary reaction forces in the frequency domain on an interface of linear and nonlinear regions, (2) solving the wave radiation problem subjected to the boundary reaction forces in the time domain. For the purpose of calculating the boundary reaction forces at the base of the isolator, the KIESSI-3D program is employed in this study to solve soil-foundation interaction problem subjected to vertically incident seismic waves. Wave radiation analysis is also employed, in which the nonlinear structure and the linear soil region are modeled by finite elements and energy absorbing elements on the outer model boundary using a general purpose nonlinear FE program. In this study, the MIDAS/Civil program is employed for modeling the wave radiation problem. In order to absorb the outgoing elastic waves to the unbounded soil region, spring and viscous-damper elements are used at the outer FE boundary. The BRM technique utilizing KIESSI-3D and MIDAS/Civil programs is verified using a linear soil-structure analysis problem. Finally the method is applied to nonlinear seismic analysis of a base-isolated NPP structure. The results show that BRM can effectively be applied to nonlinear soil-structure interaction problems.

• Journal of Korean Association for Spatial Structures
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• v.7 no.1 s.23
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• pp.45-53
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• 2007

Recently, high-rise base isolated building structures with shear keys are often constructed in Japan which frequently occurs earthquakes. High-rise buildings are less damaged because those buildings have longer natural period than md or low rise buildings. The shear key is device that prevents the base isolators operating by the wind loads not by the earthquake loads. In case of big base shear force acts on the shear keys by earthquake, this device is broken and base isolator is operated. Therefore, seismic intensities play a role in acting on the shear keys. If wind loads are hither than the earthquake loads, the shear keys designed by wind loads are not operated in earthquakes. So, the requirements of shear keys in high-rise base isolated building structures must be examined in Korea with moderate seismic legions. In this study shear keys are applied with 5 and 15 stories base isolated building structures and investigated their dynamic responses to original and 1/2 scale downed El Centre NS(1940) ground motions. The results show that the yield shear forces of the shear keys affect significantly the dynamic behavior of base isolated building structures

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.701-721
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• 2016

Base isolation is a well-established passive strategy for seismic response control of buildings. In this paper, an efficient framework is proposed for reliability-based design optimization (RBDO) of isolated buildings subjected to uncertain earthquakes. The framework uses reduced function evaluations method, as an efficient tool for structural reliability analysis, and an efficient optimization algorithm for optimal structural design. The probability of failure is calculated considering excessive base displacement, superstructure inter-storey drifts, member stress ratios and absolute accelerations of floors of the isolated building as failure events. The behavior of rubber bearing isolators is modeled using nonlinear hysteretic model and the variability of future earthquakes is modeled by applying a probabilistic approach. The effects of pulse component of stochastic near-fault ground motions, fixity-factor of semi-rigid beam-to-column connections, values of isolator parameters, earthquake magnitude and epicentral distance on the performance and safety of semi-rigidly connected base-isolated steel framed buildings are studied. Suitable RBDO examples are solved to illustrate the results of investigations.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.52 no.1
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• pp.1-14
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• 2024

This paper introduces a system allows for seismic isolation of the pallet from the rack in the down-aisle direction, occupies minimal vertical space (5 cm) and ±7.5 cm of deformation range. A conceptual model of the isolation system is presented, leading to a constitutive equation governing its behavior. A first experimental campaign studying the response of the isolation system's components was conducted to calibrate the parameters of its constitutive equation. A second experimental campaign evaluated the response of the isolation system with mass placed on it, subjected to cyclic loading. The results of this second campaign were compared with the numerical predictions using the pre-calibrated constitutive equation, allowing a double-blind validation of the constitutive equation of the isolation system. Finally, a numerical evaluation of the isolation system subjected to a synthetic earthquake of one component. This evaluation allowed verifying attributes of the proposed isolation system, such as its self-centering capacity and its effectiveness in reducing the absolute acceleration of the isolated mass and the shear load transmitted to the supporting beams of the rack.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.35 no.5
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• pp.1025-1037
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• 2015

Flexible base isolation bearings that separate superstructure from ground have been widely used in the construction field because they make a significant contribution to increasing the fundamental period of the structure, thereby decreasing response acceleration transmitted into the superstructure. However, the established bearing devices installed to uphold the whole building give rise to some problems involved with failure and collapse due to lack of the capacity as modern structures are getting more massive and higher. Therefore, this study suggests new isolation bearings assembled with additional restrainers enabled to reinforcing and recentering, and then evaluates their performance to withstand the seismic load. The superelastic shape memory alloy (SMA) bars are installed into the conventional lead-rubber bearing (LRB) devices in order to provide recentering forces. These new systems are modeled as component spring models for the purpose of conducting nonlinear dynamic analyses with near fault ground motion data. The LRB devices with steel bars are also designed and analyzed to compare their responses with those of new systems. After numerical analyses, ultimate strength, maximum displacement, permanent deformation, and recentering ratio are compared to each model with an aim to investigate which base isolation models are superior. It can be shown that LRB models with superelastic SMA bars are superior to other models compared to each other in terms of seismic resistance and recentering effect.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.12 no.4_1
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• pp.9-21
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• 1992

The effectiveness of the isolation system installed at the base of the primary structure and at the support of the substructure mounted on the primary structure is evaluated for reducing of structural responses under different earthquakes in this paper. The structural responses are analyzed to identify its behavior due to the input motion characteristics such as various peak acceleration and frequency content. Three analytical models are used to evaluate the effectiveness of the isolation system in this study as follows: fixed-base primary structure with support-fixed substructure, base-isolated primary structure with support-fixed substructure, and fixed-base primary structure with support-isolated substruciure. A computer code (KBISAP) is used for numerical integration of equation of motion considering the interaction between the primary structure and the secondary structure. The matrix condensation technique and constant average acceleration method are utilized in this program. And also, the effective stiffness of the base-isolator on reducing the structural response are evaluated for various earthquakes through the relationship of the acceleration - displacement.