Estimation of the Seismic Damage Potential of RC Frames Using Seismic Parameters

Variation of the fundamental period is regarded as one of the methods to assess the damage of the structures under earthquakes. The inter-relationship among seismic parameters and variation of the fundamental period can identify the potential structural damage of an earthquake. For this purpose, the present paper aimed to study the relations among main seismic parameters, incorporating a variety of information about ground motion and variation of fundamental period. Three RC frames were analyzed under far-fault earthquake records by nonlinear dynamic analyses and mathematical methods applied to assay the correlation between seismic parameters and variation of fundamental period. Based on the results, high correlations were observed between some seismic parameters and variation of fundamental period. Further, based on regression equations, new parameters with a very strong correlation with variations of fundamental periods were achieved, which can be regarded as appropriate indices to estimate the potential structural damage of an earthquake.

Reliability and reliability-based sensitivity analysis of self-centering buckling restrained braces using meta-models

This paper aims to carry out sensitivity analyses to study how the effect of each design variable on the performance of self-centering buckling restrained brace (SC-BRB) and the corresponding buckling restrained brace (BRB) without shape memory alloy (SMA) rods. Furthermore, the reliability analyses of BRB and SC-BRB are performed in this study. Considering the high computational cost of the simulation methods, three Meta-models including the Kriging, radial basis function (RBF), and polynomial response surface (PRSM) are utilized to construct the surrogate models. For this aim, the nonlinear dynamic analyses are conducted on both BRB and SC-BRB by using OpenSees software. The results showed that the SMA area, SMA length ratio, and BRB core area have the most effect on the failure probability of SC-BRB. It is concluded that Kriging-based Monte Carlo Simulation (MCS) gives the best performance to estimate the limit state function (LSF) of BRB and SC-BRB in the reliability analysis procedures. Considering the effects of changing the maximum cyclic loading on the failure probability computation and comparison of the failure probability for different LSFs, it is also found that the reliability indices of SC-BRB were always higher than the corresponding reliability indices determined for BRB which confirms the performance superiority of SC-BRB than BRB.

Tension-only ideal dissipative bracing for the seismic retrofit of precast industrial buildings

New precast frame industrial structures are seismically designed according to reliable modern criteria. However, most of the existing built stock hosting many workers and both regular and strategic industrial activities was designed and detailed neglecting the earthquake load or according to outdated seismic design criteria and regulations. Its seismic retrofit is a main challenge for the Engineering Community and a critical objective for institutional and private bodies. Among the envisaged solutions, the introduction of dissipative braces appears to be promising, although mostly inapplicable for these buildings, due to the brace lengths required by their typical large dimensions and the related proportioning against buckling. In this paper, an innovative seismic retrofitting technique based on monolateral dissipative bracing is investigated. The device proposed in this paper, yet in phase of preliminary design and testing, dissipates energy through friction in tension only while freely deforming in compression, which makes the issue related to compressive buckling irrelevant. A numerical analysis is carried out to investigate the efficiency of the proposed device in seismic retrofitting of precast industrial frame buildings with the aim to explore its feasibility and to better orient the definition of the slip threshold load range and the future development of the physical device. The simplified Capacity Spectrum Method (CSM) is employed for the global framing of the structural behaviour of the highly nonlinear retrofitted structures under seismic actions. A numerical tool is set to automatically apply the CSM based on the definition of few main parameters governing the seismic response of precast frame structures. The efficacy of the CSM is critically analysed through the comparison with the results of a set of nonlinear dynamic analyses. A smart simplified design process aimed at framing the most efficient threshold slip/yield load of the device given an existing structural configuration is presented with the application of the CSM through the identification of the most efficient performance indicator related to either displacement, shear force, equivalent dissipation of energy or a combination of them.

A Prediction Model for the Calculation of Effective Stiffness Ratios of Reinforced Concrete Columns

Nonlinear dynamic analyses of reinforced concrete (RC) frame buildings require the use of effective stiffness of members to capture the effect of cracked section stiffness. In the design codes and practices, the effective stiffness of RC sections is given as an empirical fraction of the gross stiffness. However, a more precise estimation of the effective stiffness is important as it affects the distribution of forces and various demands and response parameters in nonlinear dynamic analyses. In this study, an evolutionary computation method called gene expression programming (GEP) was used to predict the effective stiffness ratios of RC columns. Constitutive relationships were obtained by correlating the effective stiffness ratio with the four mechanical and geometrical parameters. The model was developed using a database of 226 samples of nonlinear dynamic analysis results collected from another study by the author. Subsequent parametric and sensitivity analyses were performed and the trends of the results were confirmed. The results indicate that the GEP model provides precise estimations of the effective stiffness ratios of the RC frames.

Investigation on Seismic Behaviour of Masonry Infilled Self-Centring-Beam Moment-Frames using New Infill Material Model

This paper conducted experimental and numerical investigations on seismic behaviour of masonry infilled self-centring-beam moment-frames (SCB-MFs). First, an efficient hysteretic material model was proposed for use with the equivalent strut modelling approach of infill walls. This model was defined by backbone parameters and hysteretic parameters and implemented in the OpenSees platform to facilitate its application. Then, an approximately half-scale test of infilled SCB-MFs was carried out. The test observations and load-carrying capacities of masonry walls in the specimen were reported and analysed. The experimental hysteresis was reproduced by the numerical model using the proposed infill material. Finally, structural analyses were conducted for 3-, 6-, 9-, and 12-storey infilled SCB-MFs based on the calibrated computational model. Comparisons of the hysteretic behaviours obtained by the simulation with experimental results showed that the proposed infill material could capture the strength, stiffness, and energy dissipation during reloading, along with the residual drift during unloading. The nonlinear dynamic analyses also validated the feasibility of using the proposed model to simulate the dynamic responses of infilled SCB-MFs.

A Nonlinear CFD/Multibody Incremental-Dynamic Model for A Constrained Mechanism

Numerical analysis of a multibody mechanism moving in the air is a complicated problem in computational fluid dynamics (CFD). Analyzing the motion of a multibody mechanism in a commercial CFD software, i.e., ANSYS Fluent®, is a challenging issue. This is because the components of a mechanism have to be constrained next to each other during the movement in the air to have a reliable numerical aerodynamics simulation. However, such constraints cannot be numerically modeled in a commercial CFD software, and needs to be separately incorporated into models through the programming environment, such as user-defined functions (UDF). This study proposes a nonlinear-incremental dynamic CFD/multibody method to simulate constrained multibody mechanisms in the air using UDF of ANSYS Fluent®. To testify the accuracy of the proposed method, Newton–Euler dynamic equations for a two-link mechanism are solved using Matlab® ordinary differential equations (ODEs), and the numerical results for the constrained mechanisms are compared. The UDF results of ANSYS Fluent® shows good agreement with Matlab®, and can be applied to constrained multibody mechanisms moving in the air. The proposed UDF of ANSYS Fluent® calculates the aerodynamic forces of a flying multibody mechanism in the air for a low simulation cost than the constraint force equation (CFE) method. The results could have implications in designing and analyzing flying robots to help human rescue teams, and nonlinear dynamic analyses of the aerodynamic forces applying on a moving object in the air, such as airplanes, birds, flies, etc.

Considering frictional slippage at saddle-cable interface in seismic behavior of a suspension bridge

Long-span suspension bridges are widely used in deep valleys, which face severe seismic risk. However, the potential saddle-cable frictional slippage under earthquake excitation as well as its influence on the seismic response of the whole suspension bridge has not yet been investigated. To investigate the effect of frictional slippage at the saddle-cable interface, this paper developed a nonlinear numerical model that considers the saddle-cable slippage. Another contrasting model with a non-slipping saddle-cable interface was used for quantitative comparison. Nonlinear dynamic analyses were conducted using these two models. The saddle-cable interfacial response indicated the realization of the frictional slippage at the saddle-cable interface under the maximum considered earthquake. The overall damage patterns, critical sectional performance, main girder drift, and energy dissipation were discussed in detail. Under the design based and maximum considered intensities, the saddle-cable slippage was seldom observed. The visible frictional slippage was encountered only at ultimate safety earthquake, which could be helpful to limit the transferred load, protect the pylon from yielding, and dissipate approximately 14% of the input seismic energy. While the slippage could not evidently affect the overall deformation pattern of the suspension bridge, as well as the response of bearings and central buckles.