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Seismic Response and Safety Assessment of Building Structures

A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Civil Engineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 10 August 2025 | Viewed by 1934

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Civil Engineering, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung 402, Taiwan
Interests: steel structures; earthquake engineering; nondestructive testing (NDT); computer-aided engineering (CEA) design and analysis

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Civil Engineering, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu 300, Taiwan
Interests: seismic design and analysis; concrete structures; tall buildings; nonlinear solid and structural mechanics

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The seismic response of building structures and safety assessments have always attracted a lot of attention. In recent years, there has been great progress in both numerical simulation and on-site monitoring of the building seismic response. Structural safety assessment has also expanded from protecting people from earthquake damage to ensuring appropriate safety margins against large earthquakes. On the other hand, the earthquake disaster surveys also show that many non-ductile design building structures were destroyed, and some newly built ductile-design building structures were damaged. Based on the information presented above, this Special Issue calls for submissions on the seismic response and safety assessment of building structures. The topics of interest include but are not limited to numerical simulation, on-site monitoring, safety margin assessment, non-ductile structures, ductile design, and case study analyses. The Special Issue is expected to help gain better understanding into the simulated and recorded seismic responses of building structures during recent earthquakes, promoting the development of structural safety assessment and the applications.

Prof. Dr. Heui Yung Chang
Dr. Yu Ping Yuen
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • building structure
  • seismic response
  • numerical simulation
  • on-site monitoring
  • non-ductile structure
  • ductile design
  • safety assessment
  • case study

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

21 pages, 4801 KiB  
Article
Experimental Evaluation of an Innovative Tube-in-Tube Buckling Restrained Braces for Seismic Retrofitting of Substandard RC Frames
by Evrim Oyguc, Resat Oyguc, Onur Seker, Abdul Hayır, Jay Shen and Bulent Akbas
Appl. Sci. 2025, 15(9), 4662; https://doi.org/10.3390/app15094662 - 23 Apr 2025
Viewed by 163
Abstract
The process of seismic retrofitting for inadequate RC frames is vital for enhancing structural integrity in areas susceptible to earthquakes. This research investigates a novel tube-in-tube (TnT) buckling restrained brace (BRB) system aimed at improving the seismic performance of these substandard RC frames. [...] Read more.
The process of seismic retrofitting for inadequate RC frames is vital for enhancing structural integrity in areas susceptible to earthquakes. This research investigates a novel tube-in-tube (TnT) buckling restrained brace (BRB) system aimed at improving the seismic performance of these substandard RC frames. By targeting significant weaknesses inherent in older RC constructions, the TnT BRB introduces a lightweight, all-steel configuration that eliminates the need for traditional mortar or concrete infill materials. Experimental shake table testing on two one-third scaled RC frame models was conducted to compare the seismic performance of an unretrofitted control frame and a frame retrofitted with the TnT BRB system. Results indicate significant enhancements in lateral strength, ductility, and energy dissipation capacity in the retrofitted frame, demonstrating stable and symmetrical hysteresis loops and reduced stiffness degradation compared to conventional X-braced systems. Analytical modeling corroborated these experimental findings, confirming the TnT BRB’s superior capability in absorbing seismic energy and preventing premature structural failures. This investigation emphasizes both the practical and financial benefits of integrating the TnT BRB into seismic retrofitting strategies while recommending further research to optimize the system, specifically addressing issues related to local denting, frictional wear, and alignment to bolster its effectiveness in practical applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Seismic Response and Safety Assessment of Building Structures)
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14 pages, 5491 KiB  
Article
Study on Seismic Performance of Steel Fiber Reinforced Concrete Pier Under Bending–Torsion Coupling
by Zhi Zhang, Jianghao Meng, Chenning Song and Jiahui Fan
Appl. Sci. 2025, 15(6), 3306; https://doi.org/10.3390/app15063306 - 18 Mar 2025
Viewed by 179
Abstract
To systematically study the mechanical behavior of a steel fiber-reinforced concrete (SFRC) pier under bending–torsion coupling, three pier specimens with a clear height of 1200 mm, a diameter of 300 mm, and an SFRC height of 300 mm in the plastic hinge region [...] Read more.
To systematically study the mechanical behavior of a steel fiber-reinforced concrete (SFRC) pier under bending–torsion coupling, three pier specimens with a clear height of 1200 mm, a diameter of 300 mm, and an SFRC height of 300 mm in the plastic hinge region were designed and fabricated. Quasi-static tests were carried out to observe the damage patterns and failure modes of the specimens. On this basis, multiple finite element models were established using the ABAQUS 2018 software to study the influence of the torsion–bending ratio and SFRC height on the seismic performance of the pier. The results show that the bending–torsion coupling effect leads to a decrease in the bending and torsion capacities of the pier. The presence of torque causes the plastic hinge position to move up and the plastic hinge area to expand. Adding SFRC at the bottom of the pier can effectively improve the bearing capacity of the pier under earthquake action. The optimal height of SFRC is half of the clear height of the pier under the common torsion–bending ratio, which can not only improve the seismic performance of the structure but also avoid material waste. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Seismic Response and Safety Assessment of Building Structures)
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17 pages, 4881 KiB  
Article
Stochastic Generation of Peak Ground Accelerations Based on Single Seismic Event Data for Safety Assessment of Structures
by Jihoon Seok and Jeeho Lee
Appl. Sci. 2024, 14(21), 10031; https://doi.org/10.3390/app142110031 - 3 Nov 2024
Viewed by 1055
Abstract
The Korean Peninsula, characterized by low-to-moderate seismicity, faces a shortage of strong ground motion records, posing challenges for the seismic safety assessment of critical infrastructures. Given the rarity of large-magnitude earthquakes, generating a variety of earthquakes with rational values of Peak Ground Acceleration [...] Read more.
The Korean Peninsula, characterized by low-to-moderate seismicity, faces a shortage of strong ground motion records, posing challenges for the seismic safety assessment of critical infrastructures. Given the rarity of large-magnitude earthquakes, generating a variety of earthquakes with rational values of Peak Ground Acceleration (PGA) is essential for robust seismic fragility and risk analysis. To address this, a new stochastic approach is proposed to simulate artificial earthquakes at multiple source-to-site distances and derive the probability distribution of PGA based on recorded data from a single seismic event. Two key source parameters, seismic moment and corner frequency, are treated as random variables with a negative correlation, reflecting their uncertainties and dependence on source-to-site distance. The Monte Carlo simulation with copula sampling of the key source parameters generates Fourier spectra for artificial earthquakes, which are transformed into the time domain to yield PGA distributions at various distances. A comparison with recorded data shows that the proposed method effectively simulates ground motion intensities, with no statistically significant differences between the simulated results and recorded data (p>0.05). The present method of determining PGA distributions provides a robust framework to enhance seismic risk analysis for the safety assessment of structures. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Seismic Response and Safety Assessment of Building Structures)
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