Application of Buckling Restrained Braces for Seismic Strengthening of Irregular Gravity Load Designed Reinforced Concrete Frame Buildings

Past earthquake disasters have shown that irregular gravity load designed (GLD) reinforced concrete (RC) frame buildings were very vulnerable to strong ground shaking. Many of them collapsed and caused loss of human lives as well as materials. Hence, in order to prevent future disasters, this type of buildings needs to be strengthened against earthquake. This paper presents a case study of an innovative approach for seismic strengthening of a typical six story residential building with a soft/weak first story using buckling restrained braces (BRBs). The seismic performance of the original GLD building and the retrofitted one are compared using three dimensional nonlinear dynamic time history analysis in OpenSees. The analysis results show that the innovative seismic strengthening approach for irregular GLD RC frame buildings using BRBs can significantly reduce maximum story drifts as well as building damages which benefits in reducing the risk of building’s collapse during earthquake

A Modal Pushover Analysis on Multi-Span Concrete Bridges to Estimate Inelastic Seismic Responses

The performance of Modal Pushover Analysis (MPA) in predicting the inelastic seismic response of multi-span concrete bridges is investigated. The bridge is subjected to lateral forces distributed proportionally over the span of the bridge in accordance to the product of mass and displaced shape. The bridge is pushed up to the target displacement determined from the peak displacement of the nth mode inelastic Single Degree of Freedom System derived from Uncoupled Modal Response History Analysis (UMRHA). The peak response from each mode is combined using Square-Root of Sum-of-Square (SRSS) rule. Although the use of SRSS rule is not appropriate in this bridge and the displaced pattern is shifted from the elastic shape due to yielding, MPA can predict well the total peak response of the bridge in inelastic range

NONLINEAR FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSIS OF NONSEISMICALLY DETAILED INTERIOR RC BEAM-COLUMN CONNECTION UNDER REVERSED CYCLIC LOAD

This paper presents a nonlinear finite element analysis of non-seismically detailed RC beam column connections under reversed cyclic load. The test of half-scale nonductile reinforced concrete beam-column joints was conducted. The tested specimens represented those of the actual mid-rise reinforced concrete frame buildings designed according to the non-seismic provisions of the ACI building code.  The test results show that specimens representing small and medium column tributary area failed in brittle joint shear while specimen representing large column tributary area failed by ductile flexure though no ductile reinforcement details were provided. The nonlinear finite element analysis was applied to simulate the behavior of the specimens. The finite element analysis employs the smeared crack approach for modeling beam, column and joint, and employs the discrete crack approach for modeling the interface between beam and joint face. The nonlinear constitutive models of reinforced concrete elements consist of coupled tension-compression model to model normal force orthogonal and parallel to the crack and shear transfer model to capture the shear sliding mechanism. The FEM shows good comparison with test results in terms of load-displacement relations, hysteretic loops, cracking process and the failure mode of the tested specimens. The finite element analysis clarifies that the joint shear failure was caused by the collapse of principal diagonal concrete strut

Microzonation of Greater Bangkok Using Microtremor Technique

Bangkok, the capital city of Thailand, is located at a remote distance from seismic sources. However, it has a substantial risk from these distant earthquakes due to the ability of the underlying soft clay to amplify ground motions. Seismic microzonation of big cities, like Bangkok, provides a basis for site-specific hazard analysis, which can assist in systematic earthquake mitigation programs. In this study, a seismic microzonation map fro the greater Bangkok area was constructed using microtremor observations. Microtremor observations were carried out at more than 150 sites in the greater Bangkok area. The predominant periods of the ground were determined from the horizontal to vertical (H/V) spectral ratio technique. A microzonation map was then developed for the greater Bangkok area based on the observations. The study shows that there is a great possibility of long-period ground vibration in Bangkok, especially in the areas near the Gulf of Thailand. This may have severe effects on long-period structures, such as high-rise buildings and long-span bridges

Seismic capacity evaluation of post-tensioned concrete slab-column frame buildings by pushover analysis

Seismic capacity evaluation of post-tensioned concrete slab-column frame buildings designed only for gravity loads and wind load is presented. The series of nonlinear pushover analyses are carried out by using the computer program SAP2000. An equivalent frame model with explicit transverse torsional members is introduced for modeling slab-column connections. The analyses are carried out by ollowingguidelines in ATC-40 and FEMA-273/274, where several important factors such as P-Delta effects, strength and stiffness contributions from masonry infill walls, and foundation flexibility are well taken into account. The pushover analysis results, presented in the form of capacity curves, are compared with the seismic demand from the expected earthquake ground motion for Bangkok and then the seismic performance can be evaluated. Numerical examples are performed on the 9- and 30-storey post-tension flat-plate buildings in Bangkok. The results show that in general post-tensioned concrete slab-column frame buildings without shear wall possess relatively low lateral stiffness, low lateral strength capacity, and poor inelastic response characteristics. The evaluation also shows that the slab-column frame combined with the shear wall system and drop panel can increase the strength and stiffness significantly

Seismic microzonation of the greater Bangkok area using\ud microtremor observations

Bangkok, the capital city of Thailand, is located at a remote distance from seismic sources. However, it has a substantial risk from these distant earthquakes due to the ability of the underlying soft clay to amplify ground motions. It is therefore imperative to conduct a detailed seismic hazard assessment of the area. Seismic microzonation of big cities, like Bangkok, provides a basis for site-specific hazard analysis, which can assist in systematic earthquake mitigation programs. In this study, a seismic microzonation map for the greater Bangkok area is constructed using microtremor observations. Microtremor observations were carried out at more than 150 sites in the greater Bangkok area. The predominant periods of the ground were determined from the horizontal-to-vertical (H/V) spectral ratio technique. A microzonation map was then developed for the greater Bangkok area based on the observations. Moreover, the transfer functions were calculated for the soil profile at eight sites, using the computer program SHAKE91, to validate the results from the microtremor analysis. The areas near the Gulf of Thailand, underlaid by a thick soft clay layer, were found to have long natural periods ranging from 0.8s to 1.2s. However, the areas outside the lower central plain have shorter predominant periods of less than 0.4s. The study shows that there is a great possibility of long-period ground vibration in Bangkok, especially in the areas near the Gulf of Thailand. This may have severe effects on long-period structures, such as high-rise buildings and long-span bridges