Sharif Digital Repository

The seismic responses of steel water tanks are unconventional given their complex dynamic behavior and the sources of nonlinearity. Therefore, providing a reliable, finite-element model is instrumental in better understanding their dynamic behavior and improving the design conditions. This paper aims to evaluate the seismic performance of steel water tanks using shaking table tests and provide a finite-element reference model for simulating real-size, semi-anchored water tanks by conducting a series of large-scale tests in the Shaking Table Lab of the Sharif University of Technology (SUT). Since scaling the tank requires a difficult process involving changing the liquid density, this paper... 

Seismic performance of postmainshock buildings considering seismic mainshock-aftershock sequences are studied. The case studies correspond to three SAC steel MRF buildings of three, nine and twenty stories. The 2-D models are able to capture important properties of deterioration of strength and stiffness. Endurance time method is used to predict the response of structures in different hazard levels. Results are compared with those from of nonlinear incremental dynamic analysis. Maximum dynamic seismic responses of structures are captured during synthetic mainshock-aftershock seismic sequences which are produced by endurance time method. Interactional-conceptual curves for different seismic... 

This paper proposes probabilistic damage and collapse models for reinforced concrete poles in electric power distribution networks and investigates the damage and collapse pattern of poles under earthquake excitations. To this end, detailed finite element models of the H-type reinforced concrete poles are developed and verified using past experimental studies as well as the observed damage in previous earthquakes. The models are then subjected to nonlinear static analyses to study the effect of the loading pattern, loading direction, concrete strength, and failure criteria on the capacity and the collapse pattern of the pole. Next, incremental dynamic analysis is carried out to investigate... 

Following the idea of using unbonded isolators to eliminate the tensile stress and providing a cost-effective isolation system, recent experimental research has shown ordinary unbonded steel reinforced elastomeric bearings (SREBs) as an attractive option for seismic isolation of highway bridges. The focus of current research work is on the evaluation of the seismic vulnerability of a highway bridge isolated by unbonded SREBs through developing fragility curves of the structure. This assessment considers parameters playing a key role in the isolation system behavior, namely the friction coefficient, as well as the isolator aging effects. In this regard, a typical three-span highway bridge is... 

The value-based seismic design framework is a new design method that efficiently balances the construction resources and the seismic consequences, through reliable evaluation of the building performance at an affordable computational cost. This paper employs the value-based design approach to optimize the cross-section proportions of the steel wide-flange members. An optimization problem is proposed within the framework of value-based design. Construction cost and seismic consequences are selected as the value components. Moreover, the minimum code requirements are formulated as the design constraints. FEMA-P58 framework is exploited for the prediction of the seismic consequences including... 

Recent studies have indicated the need of considering aftershocks in the seismic design/assessment of structures. This article investigates the effect of sequential mainshock and aftershock earthquakes on eccentrically braced steel frames with vertical energy-absorbing links. To achieve this, 4, 8 and 12-storey frame buildings are modelled in Perform3D® software considering non-linear behaviour of materials and components. The frames are subjected to a set of 12 main earthquake records corresponding to the required hazard level, and then subsequent aftershocks are applied using incremental dynamic analysis (IDA). To reduce the computational cost, an alternative approach is also adopted by... 

The present study aims to reliably quantify the seismic response parameters of steel diagrid structural systems. To this end, in addition to the conventional Static Pushover Analysis (SPA), Dynamic Pushover Analysis (DPA) based on Incremental Dynamic Analysis (IDA) technique was taken into account. FEMA P-695 recommends a methodology for establishing Seismic Performance Factors (SPFs). The objective of the present study was to propose a simpler framework for estimating and validating SPFs while applying the concepts of FEMA P-695 guideline. The results showed that the R factors obtained through SPA procedure for steel diagrid systems were conservative and the IDAbased probabilistic method... 

The seismic performance of steel-plate concrete (SC) shear walls is numerically investigated for various SC wall geometrical shapes. Steel faceplates and infill concrete are two main components of SC walls; a full connection between steel and concrete is required for composite action. A comprehensive set of SC wall specimens with different cross-sectional shapes and geometrical properties were tested in the literature for evaluating their seismic behavior. The numerical responses of 17 tested SC walls, including rectangular, T-shaped, and flanged walls, isolated and coupled walls, with and without boundary elements and endplates, subjected to cyclic lateral loading and a wide range of axial... 

Seismic performance of postmainshock buildings considering seismic mainshock-aftershock sequences are studied. The case studies correspond to three SAC steel MRF buildings of three, nine and twenty stories. The 2-D models are able to capture important properties of deterioration of strength and stiffness. Endurance time method is used to predict the response of structures in different hazard levels. Results are compared with those from of nonlinear incremental dynamic analysis. Maximum dynamic seismic responses of structures are captured during synthetic mainshock-aftershock seismic sequences which are produced by endurance time method. Interactional-conceptual curves for different seismic... 

Past earthquakes had shown vulnerability of infill walls especially under out of plane (OOP) loading. Although some new infill walls show a good OOP performance, generally, they do not have the right economic justification or have complexity in construction. Therefore, in this paper, an innovative economical infill wall is presented that is not complicated in construction. The proposed wall constructed by light expanded clay aggregate in especial shape that reinforced with side plates, top, and bottom rebars. Experimental and numerical studies were carried out to investigate its seismic performance. Experimental results showed a high continuity between blocks of wall due to its especial... 

Recently, a novel structural system, which is defined as a damped outrigger system, has been proposed to control the dynamic vibration of tall buildings. This paper examines the seismic performance of tall buildings involving multiple outriggers equipped with viscous dampers. In this respect, a dual structural system (braced moment frame) is selected as a bare structure. In addition, the number and position of outriggers are assumed to be variable along the structure height. Nonlinear Response History Analysis (RHA) is performed to evaluate the efficiency of the damped-outrigger system under eight-scaled ground motions. The results are presented based on the average of all ground motions.... 

Seismic performance of a representative single-story confined unreinforced masonry school building in Tehran, Iran is evaluated by means of incremental dynamic analyses according to FEMA P-58 framework. For this purpose, fragility curves are derived for each of the constituent walls of the building. The in-plane behavior of the walls is considered only. Both flexible and rigid diaphragm conditions are investigated. For comparison purposes, the corresponding unconfined building exactly duplicating the considered confined unreinforced masonry building is also studied. In order to analyze the effects of near-source seismic actions on the performance of masonry buildings, two separate far-field... 

This paper describes a three-dimensional (3D) finite-element (FE) model developed to assess the seismic behaviour of a novel prefabricated beam-to-beam connection termed a double-bolted flush end-plate beam (DBFEB) splice connection under cyclic loading. The seismic response was analysed and evaluated in terms of the hysteretic behaviour, rigidity, resistance degradation, ductility, energy dissipation capacity and equivalent damping coefficient. It is shown that the required performance can be achieved by controlling the end-plate thickness as well as the bolt grade and diameter; these parameters were therefore chosen as the key geometric variables investigated here for parametric study.... 

The diagrid structural systems are mainly used for their structural capabilities and architectural aesthetic possibilities which are provided by the unique geometric configurations of these systems. However, the seismic performance factors of these structural systems are not yet explicitly recommended in the existing building codes. In this study, the seismic performance factors (SPFs) of 6- to 24-story steel diagrid structures are determined considering the post-buckling behavior of diagonal members in compression. Also, the effect of change in span length and the diagonal angles on the SPFs of diagrid structures is studied. The ATC-19 coefficient method is used for calculating the SPFs... 

The seismic performance of diagrids equipped with buckling restrained braces (BRBs) is investigated. In that regard, the effects of BRBs on the seismic performance characteristics of diagrids such as response modification factor, R, overstrength factor, Ω0, ductility ratio, μ, and median collapse capacity, S^CT, are evaluated. To this end, 6 three dimensional diagrid structures with various heights and diagonal angles are modeled using OpenSees program and are equipped with BRBs in a novel arrangement. Utilizing nonlinear static analysis, the seismic performance factors of models are evaluated. Subsequently, the median collapse capacity (S^CT) of the models are determined by performing... 

The Shrine of Prophet Daniel, located in the south-western part of Iran, represents one of the great examples of the pure brick cultural heritage buildings. This study summarizes the historical background of the shrine building. The structural parts of the building are covered in detail. The existing damages to different parts of the building are classified and the cause of each damage type is elaborated. Several in-situ and laboratory standard tests were carried out to determine the most important material characteristics of the building. Field observations and tests results prove that the building has mostly suffered from the ascending moisture which caused foundation settlement and... 

The aim of this paper is to consider the ability of endurance time (ET) method to estimate the seismic response of fixed offshore platforms at various excitation levels. In this way, various sources of nonlinear behaviour and challenging issues in the ET approach are included in the three-dimensional model of a real jacket platform utilising the finite element method. In addition to common-designed, over-designed and under-designed cases of this platform have been investigated to examine the effects of the structural characteristics on the ET response. To consider the accuracy and reliability of this approach, results of the ET method are compared with results of nonlinear time history... 

The aim of this paper is to consider the ability of endurance time (ET) method to estimate the seismic response of fixed offshore platforms at various excitation levels. In this way, various sources of nonlinear behaviour and challenging issues in the ET approach are included in the three-dimensional model of a real jacket platform utilising the finite element method. In addition to common-designed, over-designed and under-designed cases of this platform have been investigated to examine the effects of the structural characteristics on the ET response. To consider the accuracy and reliability of this approach, results of the ET method are compared with results of nonlinear time history... 

In endurance time method, seismic performance of structures under artificial intensifying accelerograms is investigated. In this method, the time duration of excitation (target time) will be assigned on the basis of linear response spectra. Damage spectra, which are the variation of a damage index versus the system period, can be used effectively to modify the target time of the excitations. In this research, various damage indices for a number of steel moment frames are estimated using the endurance time method with two types of target time, and the results are compared with those corresponding to the scaled real earthquakes. It is observed that damage estimation of the frames via the... 

There are a number of studies on seismic performance of a diagrid structure indicating that it is an effective choice for constructing tall buildings. This research investigates the seismic behavior of diagrid structures and quantifies its seismic performance factors including the response modification coefficient (R-factor), the over-strength factor (Ω0) and the displacement amplification factor (Cd) based on the FEMA P695 methodology. In that regard, a group of 3-D steel diagrid archetype models with different number of floors and various diagonal angles are designed using different R-factors. Then, in the first step, the over-strength factors of these models are determined by performing...