Earthquake resistant structures

About: Earthquake resistant structures is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 1126 publications have been published within this topic receiving 27467 citations.

Earthquake Response and Instrumentation of Buildings

Abstract: An optimal instrumentation system for interpreting building respons must be designed so that motion in the horizontal plane of each instrumented floor is defined. Strong-motion recording systems utilizing single and multiaxial remote accelerometers connected via data cable to a central recorder(s) are recommended for buildings rather than self-contained triaxial accelerographs. As a minimum it is recommended that the accelerometers in such systems be placed on the lowest level and at the roof level. Additional instrumentation should also be placed at as many intermediate levels as is economically feasible. The quantity and arrangement of instrumentation are dependent upon foundation type and conditions, building size, architectural layout, structural framing system, and the location of seismic joints.

Seismic Damageability Assessment of R/C Buildings in Eastern U.S.

Abstract: In the eastern United States, reinforced concrete building structures, medium- to high-rise construction, are usually designed for gravity loads only. A damage evaluation was done in this study for typical structures of medium height using inelastic dynamic analysis and artificially simulated earthquake motion. An empirical relation was developed to provide quick assessment for the expected damage in medium-high, reinforced concrete structures. The paper presents the methodology used for this evaluation, including the simulation of artificial ground motion from eastern United States data, and describes the major factors influencing damageability.

Evaluation of Seismic Vulnerability of Highway Bridges in the Eastern United States

Abstract: For high risk seismic zones such as California, the state-of-the-art in earthquake resistant design for new highway bridges has been well advanced, especially since the damaging 1971 San Fernando earthquake. The catastrophic failures in the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake brought a new awareness to the vulnerability of existing non-seismically designed bridge structures, particularly those in the eastern U.S. Instead of applying code-based formulations as an inverse to the design process to determine the vulnerability of existing bridges, this paper presents an energy-based evaluation methodology. Results are presented for a one-quarter scale model gravity load designed pier, which show that in spite of poor detailing, gravity load designed structures can possess a high degree of intrinsic lateral strength and ductility capacity.

Earthquake Resistant Design of Intake-Outlet Towers

Abstract: The problem of designing reinforced concrete intake-outlet towers, partially submerged in water, to withstand earthquake ground motion is examined in general terms. It is shown that water, surrounding as well as inside, significantly affects the response to ground motion and these hydrodynamic effects should be considered in the design of towers. A rational method for elastic design including the hydrodynamic effects is proposed. It is recommended that towers be designed to elastically resist ground motions which they may experience several times during their useful life. The ductility requirements that would be imposed on code-designed towers by the intense ground motions expected near the causative fault during high magnitude earthquakes are evaluated; they appear to be rather large. It is recommended that forces for elastic design be increased so that the lateral displacement ductility requirements imposed by the most intense ground motion that can occur at the site would be no larger than a ductility factor of two.