In regions of low-to-moderate seismicity, various types of lap splices are used for longitudinal reinforcement of columns at the plastic hinge zones. The seismic performance of such lap spliced columns, such as strength, deformation capacity, and energy dissipation, is affected by material strengths, longitudinal re-bar size, confinement of hoops, lap splice location, and lap splice length. In the present study, cyclic loading tests were performed for columns using three types of lap splices (bottom offset bar splice, top offset bar splice, and splice without offset bend). Lap splice length(40db and 50db) was also considered as test parameters. Ties with 90-degree end hooks were provided in the lap splice length. The test results showed that strength, deformation capacity, and energy dissipation of columns significantly differed depending on the details and the length of lap splices. The bottom offset bar splice showed high ductility and energy dissipation but low strength; on the other hand, the top offset bar splice and the splice without offset bend showed high strength but moderate ductility and energy dissipation.
Coupling beams serve as primary source of energy dissipation in coupled shear wall systems during large earthquakes. However, the overestimation of the shear strength of diagonally reinforced coupling beams may be adverse effect on the seismic performance of coupled shear wall systems. In order to force coupling beams to properly work during earthquakes, coupling beams should be designed with accurate shear strength equations. The objective of this study is to propose the accurate shear strength equation for slender diagonally reinforced coupling beams. For this purpose, experimental tests were conducted using three diagonally reinforced coupling specimens with different amount of transverse reinforcement under reversed cyclic loads to evaluate the hysteretic behavior of the specimens. The test results show that transverse reinforcement of slender diagonally reinforced coupling beam affects the maximum strength and drift ratio.
The design spectrum for Korea, which is known to belong to an intra-plate region, is developed from the ground motion records of the earthquakes occurred in Korea and overseas intra-plate regions. The horizontal spectrum is defined as geometric mean spectrum, GMRotI50. From the statistical analysis of the geometric mean spectra, a mean plus one standard deviation spectrum in lognormal distribution is obtained. Regression analysis is performed on this curve to determine the shape of spectrum including transition periods. The developed design spectrum is valid for the estimation both spectral acceleration and displacement.
This study intends to evaluate the conservativeness of the fixed-base analysis as compared to the soil-structure interaction (SSI) analysis for the seismically isolated model of a nuclear power plant in Korea. To that goal, the boundary reaction method (BRM), combining frequency-domain and time-domain analyses in a twofold process, is adopted for the SSI analysis considering the nonlinearity of the seismic base isolation. The program KIESSI-3D is used for computing the reaction forces in the frequency domain and the program MIDAS/Civil is applied for the nonlinear time-domain analysis. The BRM numerical model is verified by comparing the results of the frequency-domain analysis and time-domain analysis for the soil-structure system with an equivalent linear base isolation model. Moreover, the displacement response of the base isolation and the horizontal response at the top of the structure obtained by the nonlinear SSI analysis using BRM are compared with those obtained by the fixed-base analysis. The comparison reveals that the fixed-base analysis provides conservative peak deformation for the base isolation but is not particularly conservative in term of the floor response spectrum of the superstructure.
For earthquake loss estimation of building structures in Gangnam-Gu district in Seoul, three scenario earthquakes were selected by comparison of the response spectra of these scenario earthquakes with the design spectrum in Korean Building Code (KBC 2009), and then direct losses of the building structures in the Gangnam-Gu district under each scenario earthquake are estimated. The following conclusions are drawn from the results of damage and loss in the second scenario earthquake, which has a magnitude = 6.5 and epicentral distance =15 km: (1) The ratio of building stocks undergoing the extensive and complete damage level is 40.0% of the total. (2) The amount of direct economic losses appears approximately 19 trillion won, which is 1.2% of the national GDP of Korea. (3) About 25% of high-rise (over 10-story) RC building wall structures, were inflicted with the damage exceeding moderate level, when compared to 60% of low-rise building structures. (4) From the economical view point, the main loss, approximately 50%, was caused by the damage in the high-rise RC wall building structures.
On Tuesday, January 17, 1995, an earthquake of magnitude 7.2 struck the Port of Kobe. In effect, the port was practically destroyed. After a hazard investigation, researchers reached a consensus to adopt a performance-based design in port and harbor structures in Japan. A residual displacement of geotechnical structures after an earthquake is one of the most important engineering demands in performance-based earthquake-resistant design. Thus, it is essential to provide reliable responses of geotechnical structures after an earthquake through various techniques. Today, a nonlinear explicit response history analysis(NERHA) of geotechnical structures is the most efficient way to achieve this goal. However, verification of the effective stress analysis, including post liquefaction behavior, is difficult to perform at a laboratory scale. This study aims to rigorously verify the NERHA by using well-defined field measurements, existing numerical tools, and constitutive models. The man-made, Port Island, in Kobe provides intensive hazard investigation data, strong motion records of 1995 Kobe earthquake, and sufficient engineering parameters of the soil. Two dimensional numerical analysis was conducted on the caisson quay wall section at Port Island subjected to the 1995 Kobe earthquake. The analysis result matches very well with the hazard investigation data. The NERHA procedure presented in this paper can be used in further studies to explain and examine the effects of other factors on the seismic behavior of gravity quay walls in liquefiable soil areas.
The vertical design spectrum for Korea, which is known to belong to an intra-plate region, is developed from the ground motion records of the earthquakes occurred in Korea and overseas intra-plate regions. From the statistical analysis of the vertical response spectra, a mean plus one standard deviation spectrum in lognormal distribution is obtained. Regression analysis is performed on this curve to determine the shape of spectrum including transition periods. The developed design spectrum is valid for the estimation both spectral acceleration and displacement. The ratio of vertical to horizontal response spectrum for each record is calculated. Statistical analysis of the ratios rendered the vertical to horizontal ratio (V/H ratio). Subsequently the ratio between the peak vertical ground acceleration to the horizontal one is obtained.