Achieving Resilience and Other Challenges in Earthquake Engineering

A special issue of Buildings (ISSN 2075-5309). This special issue belongs to the section "Building Structures".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 September 2024) | Viewed by 10584

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Civil Engineering and Architecture, University of Catania, Catania 95125, Italy
Interests: Masonry; Existing buildings; Nonlinear analysis; Historical buildings; Masonry arch bridges; Cracked structures; Vibrations

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Guest Editor
Department of Civil Engineering and Architecture, University of Catania, Via Santa Sofia 64, 95125 Catania, Italy
Interests: seismic retrofit; seismic structure; uncertian structures

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Guest Editor
School of Architecture, Building and Civil Engineering, Loughborough University, Leicestershire LE11 3TU, UK
Interests: computational mechanics; structural dynamics; wave propagation; stochastic finite element method

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Guest Editor
School of Architecture, Building and Civil Engineering, Loughborough University, Leicestershire LE11 3TU, UK
Interests: structural dynamics; stochastic mechanics; bridge engineering; earthquake engineering; wind engineering

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue will include recent trends and challenges in the field of seismic structure engineering. Approximately 20,000 people are killed every year by this natural phenomenon and the average annual economic loss is around USD 100 billion  worldwide. Consequently, enhancing knowledge in the field of seismic structural engineering is a priority in order to increase the resilience of our society against earthquakes.

New research studies able to provide advances in seismic structure engineering are welcomed. The main topics covered by the Special Issue are the numerical modelling of structures subjected to earthquake loadings, experimental studies on the response of structures and on innovative strengthening techniques, new design approaches and seismic protection strategies, cultural heritage site preservation, structural health monitoring, and risk analysis under seismic hazards. Applications to both existing and new structures are welcomed, considering a wide variety of structural typologies (buildings and infrastructures) and materials (reinforced concrete, steel, masonry, timber).

This new Special Issue—hosted by the scientific journal Buildings—will garner excellent contributions and high-impact research in the field of seismic risk reduction and will show how novel materials/devices and effective design approaches may improve the final seismic performance of structures.

Dr. Francesco Cannizzaro
Prof. Dr. Nicola Impollonia
Dr. Teresa Lombardo
Dr. Alessandro Palmeri
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • earthquake engineering
  • numerical modelling
  • structural health monitoring
  • experimental test
  • seismic retrofitting
  • reinforced concrete structures
  • masonry structures
  • steel structures
  • timber structures
  • seismic protection devices

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Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 3299 KiB  
Article
Development of an Optimization-Based Budget Allocation Model for Seismic Strengthening Based on Seismic Risk Assessment
by Seokjung Kim, Jongkwan Kim, Homin Song and Mintaek Yoo
Buildings 2024, 14(8), 2479; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings14082479 - 11 Aug 2024
Viewed by 1183
Abstract
This study presents a technology used for the prediction of economic losses to facilities in a given area during an earthquake, thereby enabling the efficient application of performance-based maintenance and seismic strengthening. We also propose an algorithm for the establishment of a reinforcement [...] Read more.
This study presents a technology used for the prediction of economic losses to facilities in a given area during an earthquake, thereby enabling the efficient application of performance-based maintenance and seismic strengthening. We also propose an algorithm for the establishment of a reinforcement plan that minimizes earthquake-induced economic losses within a constrained budget. The algorithm incorporates fragility functions from prior research and utilizes an optimization technique for budget allocation, leveraging the target damage ratio concept and constrained optimization. Based on the fragility curve, the probability of occurrence for each damage state for a specific PGA value and the damage rate for each damage state are calculated. From these values, the expected damage ratio (EDR) is estimated. An optimization-based budget allocation algorithm is developed to find the elements that would result in the lowest damage rate for a limited cost. To validate the applicability of the model, we created a hypothetical city with a 30 km × 30 km area containing bridges, embankments, and buildings. The estimated pre- and post-reinforcement damage was assessed in two earthquake scenarios, allowing us to test the effectiveness of the optimization-based budget allocation model in reducing damage. These results suggest that the proposed model offers a viable strategy for efficient seismic strengthening within budgetary constraints. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Achieving Resilience and Other Challenges in Earthquake Engineering)
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25 pages, 6160 KiB  
Article
A New Iterative Design Strategy for Steel Frames Modelled by Generalised Multi-Stepped Beam Elements
by Salvatore Benfratello, Salvatore Caddemi, Luigi Palizzolo, Bartolomeo Pantò and Davide Rapicavoli
Buildings 2024, 14(7), 2155; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings14072155 - 12 Jul 2024
Viewed by 915
Abstract
The paper deals with frame steel structures required to ensure sufficient resistance, appropriate ductility and safety against brittle failure. This special aim cannot be reached by utilizing standard procedures and standard beam elements. Therefore, the present study proposes an innovative design strategy devoted [...] Read more.
The paper deals with frame steel structures required to ensure sufficient resistance, appropriate ductility and safety against brittle failure. This special aim cannot be reached by utilizing standard procedures and standard beam elements. Therefore, the present study proposes an innovative design strategy devoted to plane steel frames constituted by I-shaped cross-section beam elements and subjected to simultaneous combinations of serviceability limit state conditions and ultimate limit state conditions. Special factory-made I-shaped uniform piecewise steel profiles are utilised to provide the optimal behaviour of the frame. The proposed design strategy consists of two subsequent steps: at first a classical sizing of the frame is performed by utilising standard steel profiles, then a specific optimal design problem is performed to define the optimal geometry of the I-shaped steel profiles that fulfils all the constraints related to the required resistance and the limited deformability as well as special introduced constraints related to the protection against the brittle failure. The reliability of the procedure and the expected optimal behaviour of the frame are checked by performing nonlinear static analyses employing a recently proposed Fibre Smart Displacement-Based (FSDB) beam element model. The proposed beam element is defined by adopting displacement shape functions capable of embedding the cross-section discontinuities by means of the use of generalised functions. Furthermore, the proposed shape functions are addressed to as “smart” since capable of update in accordance with the development of plastic deformations detected by means of fibre discretisation of the cross-section. The results related to a simple steel portal confirmed the expected optimal behaviour of the structure. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Achieving Resilience and Other Challenges in Earthquake Engineering)
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23 pages, 5554 KiB  
Article
Assessing the Impact of Ground Motion Duration on Losses in Typical Modern Steel Moment Frames
by Amir Safiey, Sereen Majdalaweyh and Weichiang Pang
Buildings 2024, 14(5), 1373; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings14051373 - 11 May 2024
Viewed by 1155
Abstract
This research was undertaken to study the duration effects on the seismic economic risk of steel moment frame (SMF) buildings, a prominent class of buildings in commercial stock. Firstly, a modified version of FEMA P-695 ground motion scaling, tailored for seismic loss estimation [...] Read more.
This research was undertaken to study the duration effects on the seismic economic risk of steel moment frame (SMF) buildings, a prominent class of buildings in commercial stock. Firstly, a modified version of FEMA P-695 ground motion scaling, tailored for seismic loss estimation purposes and incorporating two sets of spectrally matched bi-directional short- and long-duration ground motions, is proposed to study code-compliant plan-symmetrical SMFs with different heights (i.e., two to 20 stories). It is shown that long-duration ground motions increase the collapse risk of SMFs, on average, by 28.0% at the MCE level. Next, a component-based loss estimation methodology was adopted for evaluating the seismic losses under each set of ground motions. These losses are studied separately for building components (i.e., structural and nonstructural) and contents. Moreover, we propose an approach for calculating average annualized loss (AAL) as a prominent risk meter that segregates contributions of short- and long-duration ground motions to attain hazard consistency. Loss analyses showed the minimal impact of building height on the contribution of these two types of earthquakes. The seismic risk analysis of buildings also revealed that collapse risk is influenced mainly by duration effects followed by building and content losses. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Achieving Resilience and Other Challenges in Earthquake Engineering)
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15 pages, 5544 KiB  
Article
Seismic Vulnerability Analysis of Concrete-Filled Steel Tube Structure under Main–Aftershock Earthquake Sequences
by Chunli Zhang, Jie Li, Yangbing Liu, Qing Cheng and Zhuojun Sun
Buildings 2024, 14(4), 869; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings14040869 - 22 Mar 2024
Viewed by 1155
Abstract
Earthquakes are often followed by higher-intensity aftershocks, which tend to aggravate the accumulated and more severe damage to building structures. The seismic vulnerability of concrete-filled steel tube (CFST) structures under major aftershocks is more complex. In this paper, a CFST frame and a [...] Read more.
Earthquakes are often followed by higher-intensity aftershocks, which tend to aggravate the accumulated and more severe damage to building structures. The seismic vulnerability of concrete-filled steel tube (CFST) structures under major aftershocks is more complex. In this paper, a CFST frame and a frame with buckling-restrained braces (BRBs) are studied, and the finite element analysis software Midas 2022 is used to analyze the seismic vulnerability of the two types of structures under main shock and main–aftershock. The results show that the structural vulnerability of the two structures is significantly higher under the main–aftershock sequences than under the main shock alone. Compared with the CFST structure, the structure with BRBs can effectively reduce the structural displacement and the hysteretic energy, decrease the plastic deformation risk of the structural components, and improve the seismic performance. The structure with BRBs can significantly reduce the probability of structural collapse under the main–aftershock sequence and can provide a reliable guarantee of the stability of the building. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Achieving Resilience and Other Challenges in Earthquake Engineering)
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14 pages, 6177 KiB  
Article
Parameter Optimization of Friction Pendulum Bearings Based on the Adaptive Genetic Algorithm Considering the Overall Evolutionary Status
by Guanghua Yin, Minglei Ma, Peng Jia and Xinxu Ma
Buildings 2024, 14(2), 435; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings14020435 - 5 Feb 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1336
Abstract
Improper design of friction pendulum bearings can lead to poor seismic reduction performance and may result in the failure of local vulnerable components. And the parameter design of friction pendulum bearings mainly relies on experience and verification calculations at present. This paper proposes [...] Read more.
Improper design of friction pendulum bearings can lead to poor seismic reduction performance and may result in the failure of local vulnerable components. And the parameter design of friction pendulum bearings mainly relies on experience and verification calculations at present. This paper proposes an adaptive genetic algorithm considering the overall evolution state of the population, adjusting crossover and mutation probabilities adaptively based on individual fitness and population diversity. Compared to traditional algorithms, it exhibits better global search capabilities and convergence efficiency. Combining the improved genetic algorithm with finite element models, a parameter optimization method is proposed. The parameters of friction pendulum bearings are optimized. In response to the situation in this paper, the optimal friction coefficient of the friction pendulum bearing is determined to be 0.01 and the optimal equivalent radius is 3.3 m. This can provide a reference for the design of seismic isolation devices. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Achieving Resilience and Other Challenges in Earthquake Engineering)
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16 pages, 8335 KiB  
Article
Seismic Repair Cost-Based Assessment for Low-Rise Reinforced Concrete Archetype Buildings through Incremental Dynamic Analysis
by Juan Patricio Chicaiza-Fuentes and Ana Gabriela Haro-Baez
Buildings 2023, 13(12), 3116; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings13123116 - 15 Dec 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2307
Abstract
This study presents the performance-based seismic assessment of low-rise reinforced concrete archetype buildings, considering repair costs for ordinary moment-resistant frames (OMF) and dual systems consisting of OMF plus special shear walls (SSW). Historically, the OMF systems, conceived for residential purposes in Ecuador resulting [...] Read more.
This study presents the performance-based seismic assessment of low-rise reinforced concrete archetype buildings, considering repair costs for ordinary moment-resistant frames (OMF) and dual systems consisting of OMF plus special shear walls (SSW). Historically, the OMF systems, conceived for residential purposes in Ecuador resulting from informal construction, have reported poor responses under seismic forces. This study analyzes damage levels through fragility curves as a function of the maximum global drift reached through incremental dynamic analysis. For this, two archetypes with OMF and two with a similar configuration, including structural walls, are modeled to define a loss function and annual collapse probabilities. As a result, it is noted that systems with structural walls significantly reduce repair costs by between 75 and 90% of the total cost of the building, and prevent collapse. Systems with ordinary moment frames report total losses, implying their use should be limited in areas of high seismicity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Achieving Resilience and Other Challenges in Earthquake Engineering)
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15 pages, 3729 KiB  
Article
Determination of the Design Parameters of SMA Cables for Self-Centering Frame Structures
by Xiaolong Zhou, Qijie Yuan, Li Chen, Jie Chen, Taoxin Deng, Yaqing Hu and Ao Li
Buildings 2023, 13(4), 1019; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings13041019 - 13 Apr 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1789
Abstract
In order to improve the force performance of traditional anti-buckling energy dissipation bracing with excessive non-recoverable deformation caused by strong seismic action, this paper presents a prestress-braced frame structure system with shape memory alloy (SMA) and investigates its deformation characteristics under a horizontal [...] Read more.
In order to improve the force performance of traditional anti-buckling energy dissipation bracing with excessive non-recoverable deformation caused by strong seismic action, this paper presents a prestress-braced frame structure system with shape memory alloy (SMA) and investigates its deformation characteristics under a horizontal load. Firstly, this paper establishes a theoretical analysis model by analyzing the geometric relationship between the deformation of SMA cables and inter-story displacement based on the internal force balance equation. The model is used to solve the anti-lateral displacement stiffness of the SMA cable-supported frame structure and to derive a reasonable formula for calculating the initial prestress and cross-sectional area of SMA cables. Then, the mechanical behavior of the SMA cable-supported frame structure system under an equivalent horizontal load is simulated using ABAQUS software and compared with the calculated results of conventional tie-supported and non-dissipative-supported frame structures. The results show that the force performance of the frame structure system determined by the SMA cable design method proposed in this paper is significantly improved under the horizontal load. Furthermore, it can ensure a certain ductility requirement of the frame structure system, which verifies the effectiveness of the design method of the SMA cable frame structure system proposed in this paper. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Achieving Resilience and Other Challenges in Earthquake Engineering)
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