Fluid - Structure - Soil Interaction of Cylindrical Liquid Storage Tank Subjected to Horizontal Earthquake Loading

Shallow founded tanks are strategic structures used to store a variety of kind of liquids. The fluid develops hydrodynamic effect on solid domain of container during an earthquake. This paper provides the theoretical background for numerical model on seismic response of fluid-structure-soil interaction. The Finite Element Method (FEM) was used for seismic response of shallow founded cylindrical container. The Fluid- Structure-Soil interaction of shallow founded tank was analysed according to theories of I. Limit States - the ultimate limit state (ULS) and II. Limit States - the serviceability limit state (SLS) pursuant to EN 1997-1. Summary of the results: the maximum rotation of foundation is growing with the reduction of the stiffness of the subsoil and the vertical and horizontal bearing capacity depends on the strength properties of the subsoil

Effect of soil parameter uncertainty on seismic response of buried segmented pipeline

Pipelines are important lifeline facilities spread over a large area and they generally encounter a range of seismic hazards and different soil conditions. The seismic response of a buried segmented pipe depends on various parameters such as the type of buried pipe material and joints, end restraint conditions, soil characteristics, burial depths, and earthquake ground motion, etc. This study highlights the effect of the variation of geotechnical properties of the surrounding soil on seismic response of a buried pipeline. The variations of the properties of the surrounding soil along the pipe are described by sampling them from predefined probability distribution. The soil-pipe interaction model is developed in OpenSEES. Nonlinear earthquake time-history analysis is performed to study the effect of soil parameters variability on the response of pipeline. Based on the results, it is found that uncertainty in soil parameters may result in significant response variability of the pipeline

Simulation of seismic response in a city-like environment

We study the seismic response of idealized 2D cities, constituted by non equally-spaced, non equally-sized homogenized blocks anchored in a soft layer overlying a hard half space. The blocks and soft layer are occupied by dissipative media. To simulate such response, we use an approximation of the viscoelastic modulus by a low-order rational function of frequency and incorporate this approximation into a first-order-in-time scheme. Our results display spatially-variable, strong, long-duration responses inside the blocks and on the ground, which qualitatively match the responses observed in some earthquake-prone cities of Mexico, France, the USA, etc.Comment: 22 pages, 8 figures, submitted to SDE

Seismic response of a platform-frame system with steel columns

open5noTimber platform-frame shear walls are characterized by high ductility and diffuse energy dissipation but limited in-plane shear resistance. A novel lightweight constructive system composed of steel columns braced with oriented strand board (OSB) panels was conceived and tested. Preliminary laboratory tests were performed to study the OSB-to-column connections with self-drilling screws. Then, the seismic response of a shear wall was determined performing a quasi-static cyclic-loading test of a full-scale specimen. Results presented in this work in terms of force-displacement capacity show that this system confers to shear walls high in-plane strength and stiffness with good ductility and dissipative capacity. Therefore, the incorporation of steel columns within OSB bracing panels results in a strong and stiff platform-frame system with high potential for low-and medium-rise buildings in seismic-prone areas.openTrutalli D.; Marchi L.; Scotta R.; Pozza L.; Stefani L.D.Trutalli D.; Marchi L.; Scotta R.; Pozza L.; Stefani L.D

Seismic Response of a Platform-Frame System with Steel Columns

Timber platform-frame shear walls are characterized by high ductility and diffuse energy dissipation but limited in-plane shear resistance. A novel lightweight constructive system composed of steel columns braced with oriented strand board (OSB) panels was conceived and tested. Preliminary laboratory tests were performed to study the OSB-to-column connections with self-drilling screws. Then, the seismic response of a shear wall was determined performing a quasi-static cyclic-loading test of a full-scale specimen. Results presented in this work in terms of force-displacement capacity show that this system confers to shear walls high in-plane strength and stiffness with good ductility and dissipative capacity. Therefore, the incorporation of steel columns within OSB bracing panels results in a strong and stiff platform-frame system with high potential for low- and medium-rise buildings in seismic-prone areas

An earthquake response spectrum method for linear light secondary substructures

YesEarthquake response spectrum is the most popular tool in the seismic analysis and design of structures. In the case of combined primary-secondary (P-S) systems, the response of the supporting P substructure is generally evaluated without considering the S substructure, which in turn is only required to bear displacements and/or forces imposed by the P substructure (¿cascade¿ approach). In doing so, however, dynamic interaction between the P and S components is neglected, and the seismic-induced response of the S substructure may be heavily underestimated or overestimated. In this paper, a novel CQC (Complete Quadratic Combination) rule is proposed for the seismic response of linear light S substructures attached to linear P substructures. The proposed technique overcomes the drawbacks of the cascade approach by including the effects of dynamic interaction and different damping in the substructures directly in the cross-correlation coefficients. The computational effort is reduced by using the eigenproperties of the decoupled substructures and only one earthquake response spectrum for a reference value of the damping ratio

Seismic response of the geologically complex alluvial valley at the "Europarco Business Park" (Rome - Italy) through instrumental records and numerical modelling

The analysis of the local seismic response in the “Europarco Business Park”, a recently urbanized district of Rome (Italy) developed over the alluvial valley of the “Fosso di Vallerano” stream, is here presented. A high-resolution geological model, reconstructed over 250 borehole log-stratigraphies, shows a complex and heterogeneous setting of both the local Plio- Pleistocene substratum and the Holocene alluvia. The local seismo-stratigraphy is derived by a calibration process performed through 1D numerical modelling, accounting for: i) 55 noise measurements, ii) 10 weak motion records obtained through a temporary velocimetric array during the August 2009 L’Aquila- Gran Sasso seismic sequence and iii) one cross-hole test available from technical report. Based on the reconstructed seismo- stratigraphy, the local seismic bedrock is placed at the top of a gravel layer that is part of the Pleistocene deposits and it does not correspond to the local geological bedrock represented by Plio-Pleistocene marine deposits. 1D amplification functions were derived via numerical modelling along three representative sections that show how in the Fosso di Vallerano area two valleys converge into a single one moving from SE toward NW. The obtained results reveal a main resonance at low frequency (about 0.8 Hz) and several higher resonance modes, related to the local geological setting. Nonlinear effects are also modelled by using strong motion inputs from the official regional dataset and pointed out a general down-shift (up to 0.5 Hz) of the principal modes of resonance as well as an amplitude reduction of the amplification function at frequencies higher than 7 Hz

Properties of Flares-Generated Seismic Waves on the Sun

The solar seismic waves excited by solar flares (``sunquakes'') are observed as circular expanding waves on the Sun's surface. The first sunquake was observed for a flare of July 9, 1996, from the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) space mission. However, when the new solar cycle started in 1997, the observations of solar flares from SOHO did not show the seismic waves, similar to the 1996 event, even for large X-class flares during the solar maximum in 2000-2002. The first evidence of the seismic flare signal in this solar cycle was obtained for the 2003 ``Halloween'' events, through acoustic ``egression power'' by Donea and Lindsey. After these several other strong sunquakes have been observed. Here, I present a detailed analysis of the basic properties of the helioseismic waves generated by three solar flares in 2003-2005. For two of these flares, X17 flare of October 28, 2003, and X1.2 flare of January 15, 2005, the helioseismology observations are compared with simultaneous observations of flare X-ray fluxes measured from the RHESSI satellite. These observations show a close association between the flare seismic waves and the hard X-ray source, indicating that high-energy electrons accelerated during the flare impulsive phase produced strong compression waves in the photosphere, causing the sunquake. The results also reveal new physical properties such as strong anisotropy of the seismic waves, the amplitude of which varies significantly with the direction of propagation. The waves travel through surrounding sunspot regions to large distances, up to 120 Mm, without significant decay. These observations open new perspectives for helioseismic diagnostics of flaring active regions on the Sun and for understanding the mechanisms of the energy release and transport in solar flares.Comment: 12 pages, 4 figures, submitted to Ap

Rock mass characterization coupled with seismic noise measurements to analyze the unstable cliff slope of the Selmun Promontory (Malta)

In the Mediterranean area, cliff slopes represent widespread high-risk landforms as they are highly frequented touristic places often interested by landslide processes. Malta represents a significant case study as several cliffs located all around the island are involved in instability processes, as evidenced by wide block-size talus distributed all along the coast line. These diffused instabilities are related to the predisponding geological setting of Malta Island, i.e. the over-position of grained limestone on plastic clay deposits, that induces lateral spreading phenomena associated to falls and topples of different-size rock blocks and is responsible for a typical landscape with stable plateau of stiff rocks bordered by unstable cliff slopes. The ruins of Gƫajn ƪadid Tower, the first of the thirteen watchtowers built in 1658 by the Gran Master Martin de Redin, stand out in the Selmun area. Currently the safety of this important heritage site, already damaged by an earthquake on October 12th 1856, is threaten by a progressive moving of the landslide process towards the stable plateau area. During autumn 2015, a field campaign was realized to characterize the jointed rock mass. A detailed engineering-geological survey was carried out to reconstruct the geological setting and to define the mechanical properties of the rock mass. Based on the surveyed joint spatial distribution, 58 single-station noise measurements were deployed to cover both the unstable zone and the stable area. The obtained 1-hour records were analyzed in the frequency domain for associating vibrational evidences to different instability levels, i.e. deriving the presence of already isolated blocks by the local seismic response. The here presented results can be a useful contribute to begin to asses defense strategies for the Selmun Promontory, in the frame of managing the landslide risk in the study area and preserving the local historical heritage