• Journal of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.21-31
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• 2013

In this study, dynamic characteristics and seismic capacity of the nuclear power plant piping system are evaluated by model test results using multi-platform shake table. The model is 21.2 m long and consists of straight pipes, elbows, and reducers. The stainless steel pipe diameters are 60.3 mm (2 in.) and 88.9 mm (3 in.) and the system was assembled in accordance with ASME code criteria. The dynamic characteristics such as natural frequency, damping and acceleration responses of the piping system were estimated using the measured acceleration, displacement and strain data. The natural frequencies of the specimen were not changed significantly before and after the testing and the failure and leakage of the piping system was not observed until the final excitation. The damping ratio was estimated in the range of 3.13 ~ 4.98 % and it is found that the allowable stress(345 MPa) according to ASME criteria is 2.5 times larger than the measured maximum stress (138 MPa) of the piping system even under the maximum excitation level of this test.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.15 no.6
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• pp.583-593
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• 2018

Seismic performance is particularly important for life-line structures, especially for long-span transmission tower line system subjected to multi-component ground motions. However, the influence of multi-component seismic loads and the coupling effect between supporting towers and transmission lines are not taken into consideration in the current seismic design specifications. In this research, shake table tests are conducted to investigate the performance of long-span transmission tower-line system under multi-component seismic excitations. For reproducing the genuine structural responses, the reduced-scale experimental model of the prototype is designed and constructed based on the Buckingham's theorem. And three commonly used seismic records are selected as the input ground motions according to the site soil condition of supporting towers. In order to compare the experimental results, the dynamic responses of transmission tower-line system subjected to single-component and two-component ground motions are also studied using shake table tests. Furthermore, an empirical model is proposed to evaluate the acceleration and member stress responses of transmission tower-line system subjected to multi-component ground motions. The results demonstrate that the ground motions with multi-components can amplify the dynamic response of transmission tower-line system, and transmission lines have a significant influence on the structural response and should not be neglected in seismic analysis. The experimental results can provide a reference for the seismic design and analysis of long-span transmission tower-line system subjected to multi-component ground motions.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.7 no.6
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• pp.909-935
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• 2014

The seismic characteristics of two semi-gravity reinforced concrete cantilever retaining walls are examined via an experimental program using an outdoor shake table (one with and the other without concrete masonry sound wall on top). Both walls are backfilled with compacted soil and supported on flexible foundation in a steel soil container. The primary damages during both tests are associated with significant lateral displacements of the wall caused by lateral earth pressure; however, no collapse occurs during the tests. The pressure distribution behind the walls has a nonlinear trend and conventional methods such as Mononobe-Okabe are insufficient for accurate pressure estimation.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.67 no.1
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• pp.1-8
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• 2018

Shake table tests performed on five 1:3 reduced scale two story RC moment resisting frames having construction defects, have shown severe joint damageability in deficient RC frames, resulting in joint panels' cover spalling and core concrete crushing. Haunch retrofitting technique was adopted herein to upgrade the seismic resistance of the deficient RC frames. Additional four deficient RC frames were built and retrofitted with steel haunch; both axially stiffer and deformable with energy dissipation, fixed to the beam-column connections to reduce shear demand on joint panels. The as-built and retrofitted frames' seismic response parameters are calculated and compared to evaluate the viability of haunch retrofitting technique. The haunch retrofitting technique increased the lateral stiffness and strength of the structure, resulting in the increase of structure's overstrength. The retrofitting increased response modification factor R by 60% to 100%. Further, the input excitation PGA was correlated with the lateral roof displacement to derive structure response curve that have shown significant resistance of retrofitted models against input excitations. The technique can significantly enhance the seismic performance of deficient RC frames, particularly against the frequent and rare earthquake events, hence, promising for seismic risk mitigation.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.15 no.6
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• pp.655-665
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• 2018

Shield tunnels are widely used throughout the world. However, their seismic performance has not been well studied. This paper focuses on the seismic response of a large scale model tunnel in compacted sand. A 9.3 m long, 3.7 m wide and 2.5 m high rigid box was filled with sand so as to simulate the sandy soil surrounding the tunnel. The setup was excited on a large-scale shake table. The model tunnel used was a 1:8 scaled model with a cross-sectional diameter of 900 mm. The effective shock absorbing layer (SAL) on the seismic response of the model tunnel was also investigated. The thickness of the tunnel lining is 60 mm. The earthquake motion recorded from the Kobe earthquake waves was used. The ground motions were scaled to have the same peak accelerations. A total of three peak accelerations were considered (i.e., 0.1 g, 0.2 g and 0.4 g). During the tests, the strain, acceleration and soil pressure on the surface of the tunnel were measured. In order to investigate the effect of shock absorbing layer on the dynamic response of the sand- tunnel system, two tunnel models were set up, one with and one without the shock absorbing layer of foam board were used. The results shows the longitudinal direction acceleration of the model tunnel with a shock absorbing layer were lower than those of model tunnel without the shock absorbing layer, Which indicates that the shock absorbing layer has a beneficial effect on the acceleration reduction. In addition, the shock absorbing layer has influence on the hoop strain and earth pressure of the model tunnel, this the effect of shock absorbing layer to the model tunnel will be discussed in the paper.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.195-204
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• 2024

Floor inertial forces are transferred to lateral force resisting systems through a diaphragm action during earthquakes. The diaphragm action requires floor slabs to carry in-plane forces. In precast concrete diaphragms, these forces must be carried across the joints between precast floor units as they represent planes of weakness. Therefore, diaphragm reinforcement with sufficient strength and deformability is necessary to ensure the diaphragm action for the floor inertial force transfer. In a shake table test for a three-story precast concrete structure, an unexpected local failure in the diaphragm flexural reinforcement occurred. This failure caused loss of the diaphragm action but did not trigger collapse of the structure due to a possible alternative path for the floor inertial force transfer. This paper investigates this failure event and its impact on structural seismic responses based on the shake table test and simulation results. The simulations were conducted on a structural model with discrete diaphragm elements. The structural model was also validated from the test results. The investigation indicates that additional floor inertial force will be transferred into the gravity columns after loss of the diaphragm action which can further result in the increase of seismic demands in the gravity column and diaphragms in adjacent floors.

• Journal of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.23-32
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• 2018

In this study, we conducted a shake table test to verify the seismic performance of the paneling system with steel truss composed of bolt connections. The control group was set to the traditional paneling system with steel truss connected by spot welding method. Test results showed that the bolted connection type paneling system has excellent deformation capacity without cracking or brittle fracture of the steel truss connection parts compared to the welding type paneling system. Furthermore, in the bolted connection type, slight damage occurred at the time of occurrence of the same story drift angle as compared with the existing method, it is considered that it has excellent seismic performance. In compliance with the performance-based design recommended for the current code (ASCE 41-13) on non-structural components, it is judged that in the case of the bolted connection type paneling system, it can be applied to all risk category structures without restriction. However, in the case of traditional paneling system with spot welding method, it is considered that it can be applied limitedly.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.75-89
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• 2019

The paper presents experimental and numerical studies carried out on low-rise RC frames, typically found in developing countries. Shake table tests were conducted on 1:3 reduced scaled two-story RC frames that included a code conforming SMRF model and another non-compliant model. The later was similar to the code conforming model, except, it was prepared in concrete having strength 33% lower than the design specified, which is commonly found in the region. The models were tested on shake table, through multiple excitations, using acceleration time history of 1994 Northridge earthquake, which was linearly scaled for multi-levels excitations in order to study the structures' damage mechanism and measure the structural response. A representative numerical model was prepared in finite element based program SeismoStruct, simulating the observed local damage mechanisms (bar-slip and joint shear hinging), for seismic analysis of RC frames having weaker beam-column joints. A suite of spectrum compatible acceleration records was obtained from PEER for incremental dynamic analysis of considered RC frames. The seismic performance of considered RC frames was quantified in terms of seismic response parameters (seismic response modification, overstrength and displacement amplification factors), for critical comparison.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.85 no.2
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• pp.265-274
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• 2023

The spherical steel bearings (SSBs) has been gradually replaced traditional rubber bearings and extensively applied to high-speed railway (HSR) bridges in China, due to their durability and serviceability. Nevertheless, SSB is generally simplified to the ordinary constraints in the finite element model, which cannot reflect its detailed mechanical characteristics, especially its seismic performance. To provide a more precisely simulation, an innovative and simplified finite element simulation method is proposed and the combined element group is developed in ANSYS. The primary parameters were determined by means of the performance test of SSB. The finite element model of SSB applied to a single-span HSR simply supported girder bridge was established through the proposed method. The seismic performance of the SSB was further investigated. A shake table test was conducted to evaluate the accuracy of the proposed simulation method. It is found that the numerical results could have a good agreement with the experiment, namely, the proposed method is feasible and efficient.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.31 no.5
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• pp.531-543
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• 2023

Base isolation is one of the most widely implemented and well-known technique to reduce structural vibration and damages during an earthquake. However, while the base-isolated structure reduces storey drift significantly, it also increases the base drifts causing many practical problems. This study proposes the use of Shape Memory Alloys (SMA) wires for the reduction in base drift while controlling the overall structure vibrations. A multi-degree-of-freedom (MDOF) structure along with base isolators and Shape-Memory-Alloys (SMA) wires in diagonal is tested experimentally and analytically. The isolation bearing considered in this study consists of laminates of steel and silicon rubber. The performance of the proposed structure is evaluated and studied under different loadings including harmonic loading and seismic excitation. To assess the seismic performance of the proposed structure, shake table tests are conducted on base-isolated MDOF frame structure incorporating SMA wires, which is subjected to incremental harmonic and historic seismic loadings. Root mean square acceleration, displacement and drift are analyzed and discussed in detail for each story. To better understand the structure response, the percentage reduction of displacement is also determined for each story. The result shows that the reduction in the response of the proposed structure is much better than conventional base-isolated structure.