Evolution of Seismic Site Classification According to the Criteria in Chilean Design Codes

Design codes establish seismic site classifications to determine the seismic demand of a structure according to the response of the soil foundation under the action of earthquake ground motions; the site classification can even condition the feasibility of a project. The occurrence of great earthquakes in Chile has tested its design codes, generating much information and experience regarding the seismic design of structures that have allowed researchers to identify variations in seismic demands according to the kind of ground foundation and to propose seismic site classification methods in Chilean regulations since the 1930s; countries in the vanguard of seismic design, such as the USA, Japan, and New Zealand, proposed methods even earlier. In this document, the evolution of methodologies for seismic site classification according to the criteria in Chilean codes is analysed from their implementation in the 1930s to the most recently proposed design code NCh 433, 2018–2021. Although the distinctive features of each country shape the criteria in their design codes, clear knowledge of the evolution of established criteria from their origins is considered an important tool that contributes to the better understanding, interpretation and application of the seismic site classification methodologies contained in a design code with better criteria. Likewise, the review indicates a distinct need to conduct a continuous evaluation of the classification criteria supported by records of new earthquakes, as well as by physical and numerical models that allow incorporating variables which condition the response of the terrain such as topography, lateral heterogeneities, and basic effects.

Modal-Based Ground Motion Selection Method for the Nonlinear Response Time History Analysis of Reinforced Concrete Shear Wall Structures

This paper presents a modification of the modal-based ground motion selection (MGMS) method for improving the reliability of the nonlinear response time history analysis (NLRHA) of reinforced concrete (RC) shear wall structures. The original MGMS procedure quantified the impact of frequency content combinations in the time domain (FCCTD) of input ground motions (IGMs) on the seismic response of building structures using the level of interaction of the first three modes induced by IGMs. However, previous research found that the first two modes have far larger modal mass coefficients than those of higher modes and dominate the vibration of the RC shear wall structures with a symmetric plan. Therefore, the MGMS procedure should be modified by employing the interaction of the first two modes induced by IGMs to properly account for the effect of the FCCTD of IGMs on the seismic response of structures. In the MGMS procedure for RC shear wall structures, seven IGMs that caused the most significant interactions of the first two modes were selected from a suite of twenty seed IGMs, which were chosen with a conventional spectra-matching-based IGMs selection procedure for the NLRHA of the structure. A comprehensive case study involving three RC shear walls with different heights was conducted to investigate the capability of the MGMS in selecting suitable IGMs for the NLRHA of RC shear wall structures. Sets of seed IGMs were selected, adopting conditional mean spectra and design spectra as the target spectra. It was found that the seismic demands computed using MGMS selected IGMs can ensure a more reliable and reasonable computation of seismic demands compared with conventional spectra-matching-based IGMs selection methods.

Overview of the seismic probabilistic safety assessment applied to a nuclear installation located in a low seismicity zone

Deterministic and probabilistic nuclear safety analysis methodologies have been developed and updated based on operational experience, investigation of past incidents or accidents, and analysis of postulated initiating events in order to maintain the protection of workers, the public and the environment. The evaluation of accident sequences and the total radiological risk resulting from off-site releases are general objectives addressed by these methodologies. There are hazards that continually challenge the safety of a nuclear facility or its nearby area. In particular, seismic events represent a major contributor to the risk of a nuclear facility. Different levels of ground motion induced by earthquakes may be experienced by the structures, systems and components (SSCs) of the installation. In this context, a seismic hazard analysis, seismic demand analysis and seismic fragility analysis must be carried out in order to characterize the local seismic hazard and what are the seismic demands on SSCs, allowing an adequate seismic classification of SSCs, even in installations located in sites with low seismicity. In this article, a general description of the Seismic Probabilistic Safety Assessment (Seismic PSA) methodology is presented, with emphasis on their support studies, aiming at applying the methodology described in this article to an experimental nuclear installation containing a PWR reactor designed for naval propulsion to be installed in a low seismicity zone in Brazil.