Numerical study on basin-edge effects in the seismic response of the Gubbio valley, Central Italy

2016 ◽  
Vol 14 (6) ◽  
pp. 1437-1459 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jetson R. Abraham ◽  
Chiara Smerzini ◽  
Roberto Paolucci ◽  
Carlo G. Lai
Keyword(s):  
Seismic Response ◽  
Edge Effects ◽  
Numerical Study ◽  
Central Italy ◽  
Basin Edge

scholarly journals Numerical Study of the Seismic Response of an Instrumented Building with Underground Stories

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 3190
Author(s):  
Edmundo Schanze ◽  
Gilberto Leiva ◽  
Miguel Gómez ◽  
Alvaro Lopez
Keyword(s):  
Seismic Response ◽  
Soil Structure ◽  
Numerical Study ◽  
Time History ◽  
Building Design ◽  
Average Height ◽  
The Real ◽  
Vibration Data ◽  
Finite Element Software ◽  
Stiffness Reduction

Engineering practitioners do not usually include soil–structure interactions in building design; rather, it is common to model and design foundations as embedded joints with joint–based reactions. In some cases, foundation structures are modeled as rigid bodies, embedding the first story into lower vertical elements. Given that the effects of underground floors on the seismic response are not generally included in current building design provisions, it has been little explored in the literature. This work compares and analyzes models to study the effects of different underground stories modeling approaches using earthquake vibration data recorded for the 16–story Alcazar building office in downtown Viña del Mar (Chile). The modeling expands beyond an embedded first story structure to soil with equivalent springs, representing soil–structure interaction (SSI), with varying rigid soil homogeneity. The building was modeled in a finite element software considering only dead load as a static load case because the structure remained in the framing stage when the monitoring system was operating. The instruments registered 72 aftershocks from the 2010 Maule Earthquake, and this study focused on 11 aftershocks of different hypocenters and magnitudes to collect representative information. The comparisons between empirical records and models in this study showed a better fit between the model and the real vibration data for the models that do consider the SSI using horizontal springs attached to the retaining walls of the underground stories. In addition, it was observed that applying a stiffness reduction factor of 0.7 to all elements in deformation verification models for average–height buildings was suitable to analyze the behavior under small earthquakes; better results are obtained embedding the structure in the foundation level than embedding in the street level; the use of horizontal springs with Kuesel’s model with traction for the analysis of the structure yields appropriate results; it is necessary to carefully select the spring constants to be used, paying special attention to the vertical springs. Even though the results presented herein indicate that the use of vertical springs to simulate the SSI of the base slab can result in major differences concerning the real response, it is necessary to obtain more data from instrumentation across a wider variety of structures to continue to evaluate better design and modeling practices. Similarly, further analyses, including nonlinear time–history and high–intensity events, are needed to best regulate building design.

Seismic Performance Assessment of Existing Steel Buildings: A Case Study

2018 ◽  
Vol 763 ◽  
pp. 1067-1076 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luigi di Sarno ◽  
Fabrizio Paolacci ◽  
Anastasios G. Sextos
Keyword(s):  
Numerical Study ◽  
Central Italy ◽  
Steel Structures ◽  
Eurocode 8 ◽  
Building Structures ◽  
Steel Buildings ◽  
Seismic Performance Assessment ◽  
Masonry Infills ◽  
Main Shocks

Numerous existing steel framed buildings located in earthquake prone regions world-wide were designed without seismic provisions. Slender beam-columns, as well as non-ductile beam-to-column connections have been employed for multi-storey moment-resisting frames (MRFs) built before the 80’s. Thus, widespread damage due to brittle failure has been commonly observed in the past earthquakes for steel MRFs. A recent post-earthquake survey carried out in the aftermath of the 2016-2017 Central Italy seismic swarm has pointed out that steel structures may survive the shaking caused by several main-shocks and strong aftershocks without collapsing. Inevitably, significant lateral deformations are experienced, and, in turn, non-structural components are severely damaged thus inhibiting the use of the steel building structures. The present papers illustrates the outcomes of a recent preliminary numerical study carried out for the case of a steel MRF building located in Amatrice, Central Italy, which experienced a series of ground motion excitations suffering significant damage to the masonry infills without collapsing. A refined numerical model of the sample structure has been developed on the basis of the data collected on site. Given the lack of design drawings, the structure has been re-designed in compliance with the Italian regulations imposed at the time of construction employing the allowable stress method. The earthquake performance of the case study MRF has been then investigated through advanced nonlinear dynamic analyses and its structural performance has been evaluated according to Eurocode 8-Part 3 for existing buildings. The reliability of the codified approaches has been evaluated and possible improvements emphasized.

Are Synthetic Accelerograms Suitable for Local Seismic Response Analyses at Near-Field Sites?

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesca Mancini ◽  
Sebastiano D’Amico ◽  
Giovanna Vessia
Keyword(s):  
Seismic Response ◽  
Seismic Waves ◽  
Near Field ◽  
Central Italy ◽  
Propagation Path ◽  
Soil Behavior ◽  
Seismic Stations ◽  
Seismic Input ◽  
Local Seismic Response ◽  
Finite Fault

ABSTRACT Local seismic response (LSR) studies are considerably conditioned by the seismic input features due to the nonlinear soil behavior under dynamic loading and the subsurface site conditions (e.g., mechanical properties of soils and rocks and geological setting). The selection of the most suitable seismic input is a key point in LSR. Unfortunately, few recordings data are available at seismic stations in near-field areas. Then, synthetic accelerograms can be helpful in LSR analysis in urbanized near-field territories. Synthetic accelerograms are generated by simulation procedures that consider adequately supported hypotheses about the source mechanism at the seismotectonic region and the wave propagation path toward the surface. Hereafter, mainshocks recorded accelerograms at near-field seismic stations during the 2016–2017 Central Italy seismic sequence have been compared with synthetic accelerograms calculated by an extended finite-fault ground-motion simulation algorithm code. The outcomes show that synthetic seismograms can reproduce the high-frequency content of seismic waves at near-field areas. Then, in urbanized near-field areas, synthetic accelerograms can be fruitfully used in microzonation studies.

scholarly journals Physical stratigraphy and geotechnical properties controlling the local seismic response in explosive volcanic settings: the Stracciacappa maar (central Italy)

2020 ◽  
Vol 80 (1) ◽  
pp. 179-199
Author(s):  
M. Moscatelli ◽  
G. Vignaroli ◽  
A. Pagliaroli ◽  
R. Razzano ◽  
A. Avalle ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Seismic Response ◽  
Ground Motion ◽  
Central Italy ◽  
Volcanic Event ◽  
Ground Motion Amplification ◽  
Local Seismic Response ◽  
Single Station ◽  
Seismic Scenarios ◽  
Physical Stratigraphy ◽  
Subsoil Model

AbstractNowadays, policies addressed to prevention and mitigation of seismic risk need a consolidated methodology finalised to the assessment of local seismic response in explosive volcanic settings. The quantitative reconstruction of the subsoil model provides a key instrument to understand how the geometry and the internal architecture of outcropping and buried geological units have influence on the propagation of seismic waves. On this regard, we present a multidisciplinary approach in the test area of the Stracciacappa maar (Sabatini Volcanic District, central Italy), with the aim to reconstruct its physical stratigraphy and to discuss how subsoil heterogeneities control the 1D and 2D local seismic response in such a volcanic setting. We first introduce a new multidisciplinary dataset, including geological (fieldwork and log from a 45-m-thick continuous coring borehole), geophysical (electrical resistivity tomographies, single station noise measurements, and 2D passive seismic arrays), and geotechnical (simple shear tests performed on undisturbed samples) approaches. Then, we reconstruct the subsoil model for the Stracciacappa maar in terms of vertical setting and distribution of its mechanical lithotypes, which we investigate for 1D and 2D finite element site response analyses through the application of two different seismic scenarios: a volcanic event and a tectonic event. The numerical modelling documents a significant ground motion amplification (in the 1–1.5 Hz range) revealed for both seismic scenarios, with a maximum within the centre of the maar. The ground motion amplification is related to both 1D and 2D phenomena including lithological heterogeneity within the upper part of the maar section and interaction of direct S-waves with Rayleigh waves generated at edges of the most superficial lithotypes. Finally, we use these insights to associate the expected distribution of ground motion amplification with the physical stratigraphy of an explosive volcanic setting, with insights for seismic microzonation studies and local seismic response assessment in populated environments.

scholarly journals Influence of Multiple-Support Excitation on Seismic Response of Reinforced Concrete Arch Bridges

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marta Savor Novak ◽  
Damir Lazarevic ◽  
Josip Atalic ◽  
Mario Uros
Keyword(s):  
Reinforced Concrete ◽  
Spatial Variation ◽  
Seismic Response ◽  
Ground Motion ◽  
Seismic Analysis ◽  
Numerical Study ◽  
Relative Significance ◽  
Multiple Support ◽  
Arch Bridges ◽  
Support Excitation

Although post-earthquake observations identified spatial variation of ground motion (i.e., multiple-support excitation) as a frequent cause of the unfavorable response of long-span bridges, this phenomenon is often not taken into account in seismic design to simplify the calculation procedure. This study investigates the influence of multiple-support excitation accounting for coherency loss and wave-passage effects on the seismic response of reinforced concrete deck arch bridges of long spans founded on rock sites. Parametric numerical study was conducted using the time-history method, the response spectrum method, and a simplified procedure according to the European seismic standards. Results showed that multiple-support excitation had a detrimental influence on response of almost all analyzed bridges regardless of considered arch span. Both considered spatial variation effects, acting separately or simultaneously, proved to be very important, with their relative significance depending on the response values and arch locations analyzed and seismic records used. Therefore, it is suggested that all spatially variable ground-motion effects are taken into account in seismic analysis of similar bridges.

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