Abstract

An earthquake Mw7.8 occurred on 25 April 2015 in a seismically dominant area of Nepal. No major earthquakes (>Mw7.0) were recorded in the past two decades, though Nepal is one of the active seismic regions in the world. The combined effect of the main event and the aftershocks, which are temporally distributed over 40 days, has led to a huge devastation, killing thousands of people in the epi-central area. A complete seismic catalog and influencing parameters such as type of fault, epi-central/hypo-central distance, type of soil are required for a region to assess seismic hazard scenario. The seismic hazard can be represented in terms of Peak Ground Acceleration (PGA), which is the most widely used parameter in strong motion studies. The main objective of this paper is to understand the characteristics of ground motion of the 2015 Nepal earthquake. Since the available ground motion records are limited, an attempt has been made to generate ground motion records using a modified semi-empirical approach. Contour maps of PGA and intensity have also been generated. It is observed that around 22% of buildings experienced an intensity of VI on MMI scale at Bageswari mandal. A few buildings have experienced an intensity of VII in Thankot, Seuchatar, Satikhel, Mahadevathan, Indrayani, Chhaimale, and Balambu.

Abstract

In last two decades, operational modal analysis is widely used for modal identification of structures which uses ambient responses of structure for determining the modal parameters and Frequency Domain Decomposition is one of the most popular method, but seismic excitations and high damping values of structures do not satisfy the assumptions of this classical method. The dynamic modal parameters derived from earthquake responses are more reliable than those from small amplitude responses since dynamic properties of civil structures are dependent on amplitude. In recent years, a new algorithm known as refined Frequency Domain Decomposition (rFDD) is developed which uses structural response to strong ground motions that can be short in duration and is applicable for structures with light to heavy damping. The refined Frequency Domain Decomposition (rFDD) algorithm was initially developed using synthetic seismic response signals as input and later real strong motion response records were used to demonstrate the effectiveness of this algorithm for modal dynamic identification of structures under real earthquake excitations. This method is well developed to counter the problems that normally arise in modal identification and in cases of heavy damping and non-stationarity of the signal, making it lengthy and tedious to process. In this paper the main feature of this method which is Integrated Power Spectral Density matrix computation is taken and applied on mild earthquakes responses of structure. The modal parameters identified are then compared with target values obtained from classical FDD method using ambient responses and interpreted, presenting a case for usage of rFDD in simplified manner in modal dynamic identification of structures. Keywords: Operational Modal analysis, mild earthquake response, refined Frequency Domain Decomposition

Abstract

Damage index models are used for quantification of damage in any numerical model of a building. While using any particular damage model there is high possibility that it might give similar result for two identical structures, each having different attributes. So, though currently available damage index models precisely quantify damage in the structure but fails to identify the reason or attributes/irregularities present in it. Therefore, for quantitative assessment, a unique aspect should be used which will depend on structural as well as architectural features. This paper presents new method for quantification of damage for reinforced concrete (RC) moment resisting framed (MRF) structures using the pattern of hinge formation in structure when it is subjected to a monotonic loading. A two-dimensional RC MRF structures with different building irregularities were modeled. As a primary step to estimate the damage from the pattern of hinge formation, it is necessary to understand and study the relation between damage and hinge pattern. For this purpose, energy-based damage index model is used. The relation between damage index and pattern of hinge formation is studied with the help of regression analysis. A multiple regression analysis is performed taking damage index as dependent variable and the number of hinges formed in each damage state as independent variables. The paper also discusses two different approaches for regression analysis determining the corresponding coefficients. The regression analysis resulted in an equation which can approximately quantify the damage in the structure using total number of hinges formed in each structural member.

Abstract

Radiating boundary conditions are essential in the numerical analysis of infinite domains such as dynamic SoilStructure-Interaction analysis. Local absorbing boundary conditions proposed by Lysmer and Kuhlemeyer (1969) are widely used in SSI analysis. These boundary conditions are developed based on the wave propagation in elastic materials. However, almost all soil materials exhibit viscoelastic properties. Badry and Ramancharla (2018) proposed the Absorbing Boundary Conditions for wave propagation in viscoelastic materials (VABC). The VABC conditions were developed from the original Absorbing Boundary Conditions (ABC) by including a spring in addition to the dashpot. In fact, these boundary conditions are inefficient when the waves impinge other than normal direction. In this paper, the radiating boundary conditions are modelled using VABC and ALID (Absorbing Layers by Increase in Damping) together to include the advantages of both the boundary conditions and to overcome the drawback of ABC on angle incidence. A detailed numerical analysis is carried out to verify the boundary conditions. The efficiency of the proposed method has been verified for both 1D and 2D wave propagation problems. The efficiency on angle incidence is verified using 2D plane strain model response through spatial Fourier Transformation. The study concludes that the proposed method is simple and reliable method for modelling radiating boundary conditions. Keywords: Local Absorbing Boundaries, Viscoelastic wave propagation, Rayleigh damping, Soil-Structure interaction, Absorbing Layers by Increase in Damping (ALID)

Abstract

UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction held in 2015 at Sendai, Japan, reiterated the need for substantial reduction in loss of life and property. Thus, assessing disaster risk and identifying key items for risk mitigation are in focus. Assessment of disaster risk is a multidisciplinary effort, which includes expected tangible physical loss, such as collapse and damage to built environment. In countries with limited resources, prioritizing risk reduction effort across the different parts of the country needs a quantitative (yet simple) approach to bring objectivity into the decision-making process. This paper presents a simple method, called Earthquake Disaster Risk Index (EDRI), for estimating relative earthquake risk across the different regions in a country; it uses three major constituents of risk, namely Hazard, Exposure and Vulnerability. Hazard is taken as the acceleration hazard specified in the national earthquake design standard, Exposure as per the permitted occupancy in the Local Municipal Byelaws, and Vulnerability through a Level 2 Detailed Qualitative Assessment of buildings built in the Town or City (with penalty points for missing features of earthquake resistance compared to an Ideal Building). First, the EDRI of a Town or City is estimated for each typology of building in the Town or City, and then the net EDRI of the Town or City is obtained as a weighted average of the EDRI of each typology of buildings using the number of buildings of each typology present in the city. The EDRI of a city so estimated can be compared with that of another city. Also, disaggregation of risk through its three major constituents of EDRI will increase awareness of the factors which contribute to risk – from expected intensity of earthquake ground shaking, to exposure of people in each building type, to vulnerability of each building typology. The exercise can be undertaken at a large scale across the country. Policy Makers of a prefecture or a state in a nation will find the results of EDRI to be a useful tool for prioritising allocation of earthquake risk mitigation resources and effort across Towns and Cities.

Abstract

Structural engineering involves clear understanding of characteristics of ground motion used in the design of structures to identify the critical aspects of their behavior. Peak amplitude of response (a, v, or d), predominant frequency and duration of strong ground motion are the most important parameters of ground motion that are required for this purpose. These parameters are influenced by the source, path and site conditions. However, it is also found that for the same distance these characteristics are highly sensitive to the fault direction and the side on which the site lies i.e., hanging wall or foot wall. In this paper, a case study is performed to understand the influence of fault direction and location of site on the characteristics of the ground motion. For this purpose, 371 ground motions recorded during 1999 Chi-Chi, Taiwan earthquake are selected. Initially, these ground motions were arranged in terms of fault parallel and fault normal direction and also according to distance from the fault. Later, ground motion characteristics were obtained using standard procedures. From the above, it was found that, in the near-fault region, PGA and PGV on the hanging wall are higher by at-least 20% than that on the footwall. From this observation, the near-fault region can be defined not by using the distance from the fault, but by observing the ratio of PGA values in fault normal and parallel directions. This method of estimating the near-fault region is reliable because the hanging wall effect is caused only due to the inclined dip-angle of the fault which is inevitable in most of the thrust and normal faults. Keywords: Hanging wall effect; PGA; Thrust faults; Fault Normal; Fault Parallel

Abstract

India is a country which is prone to earthquakes. Many great earthquakes of the world have occurred in India, but still safe earthquake construction practices are not popular yet. This is mainly due to lack of awareness regarding earthquake problems and also earthquake safety features of buildings. On the other hand, India is a country with many diversified building technologies where there is a large variation in selection of building materials and building technologies. Over the ages, building materials and technologies were linked to the geo-climatic conditions of the area and the same is evident from census data of the country. However, during past earthquakes, many buildings collapsed due to the lack of earthquake resistant features in these buildings, resulting in huge life loss. This paper is an attempt to identify the critical earthquake resistant elements in each building typology which is popular in a given region. The same is demonstrated by taking two building typologies i.e., framed buildings and load bearing structures in four different regions i.e., hilly region, plain region, snowfall region and heavy rainfall region. From the above, it is clear that each housing typology can be made earthquake resistant by understanding the role of critical elements and by not deviating from standard design which is safe as well as compatible with geo-climatic conditions of the region.

Abstract

Estimating the time, location and the size of an earthquake event using neural networks is an emerging technology. Present study aims to predict the near future earthquake events in each of the regions partitioned as clusters of epi-central locations of earthquakes related to Indian subcontinent. K-means clustering algorithm is applied to develop a catalogue of earthquake epicenters. Two approaches are considered for the purpose of forecasting. In the first approach regions obtained as clusters are considered as the area sources. The distribution of time series of (temporal distribution) events are divided into five time periods viz., 15 days, 30 days, 60 days, 90 days and 180 days. The accuracy of forecasting a magnitude for the next time period is studied using application of Recurrent Neural Network In the second approach the seismic data of each cluster is further grouped into three categories of magnitude viz., minor (≤ 4 Mw), moderate (between 4 Mw and 6 Mw) and strong (> 6 Mw). Accuracy of forecasting for each of the group belonging to the clusters is computed considering the same five time periods. The epicentral locations represented as latitude and longitude is the inputs for recurrent neural network. The results show that accuracy of second approach is significantly more than first approach. Finally, an attempt has been made to compare the accuracy level of Recurrent Neural Network method with the accuracy level of Gutenberg Richter law in predicting the earthquakes for future 60 days. It has been observed that Gutenberg-Richter law poorly forecasts near future earthquake. Keywords: Recurrent Neural Network; Earthquake forecasting, Clustering

Abstract

Open ground storey buildings are quite popular in India due to availability of parking space and high commercial value of the land. However, these open ground storey buildings become first victims during earthquake ground shaking. The same is evident from the collapse and huge damage in ground story columns during past earthquake events. This led to a huge loss of life and property. Hence, there is an urgent need to take up retrofit activities of open ground storey buildings. There were some instances where retrofit activities were taken up on open ground story buildings. However, the performance of the building was not tested after ground storey retrofit. To build confidence among the general public, there is a need to demonstrate that the retrofitted buildings not only save lives but also resist earthquake with minimum damage. This paper is an attempt to demonstrate the same. In this paper, a case study of G+5 open ground storey building has been taken and nonlinear static pushover analysis (POA) is performed to obtain capacity curve. Later, the building is retrofitted in its ground/first storey and again capacity curve is obtained using the POA. It is found that the performance of the building significantly improved. However, from the hinge formation pattern, it is observed that the damage has propagated to the second storey. To improve the performance further, the second storey is also retrofitted and POA is performed again. Further, as per the damage propagation to upper stories, retrofitting is done to respective stories. It is found from the hinge pattern and capacity curves that in retrofitted buildings, capacity increased up to a certain storey and after that no increment in capacity was observed. It is concluded from the study that retrofitting of open ground storey building does not mean retrofitting of only ground storey but all such columns/stories where damage is getting distributed after the retrofit of open ground storey.

Abstract

Dams are extremely important lifelines of a country. They aid in the growth of the economy. The large-scale devastation due to an earthquake can generate irreversible losses. 2% of the dam failures all around the world take place due to earthquakes. Earthquakes not only cause immediate damage but are also capable of weakening the structure by decreasing its resistance against further damages. In this work, we study the effect of strong ground motion earthquakes on concrete gravity dams. The strong ground motions lying within shallow depths are felt powerfully by the dams, since the high frequency waves are not filtered. This causes more damage to the dam as there is a high probability of resonance in higher modes, a result of the high frequency content in the ground motion. 5 strong ground motions in the Indian Subcontinent have been selected and applied on the Koyna dam which was constructed in the year 1963. 2D analysis of the dam has been performed in standard software. Qualitative analysis of dams shows that there are 3 regions which are most susceptible to damage within a dam cross-section i.e., neck, body and the heel of the dam. In this paper, the displacement of crest and the formation of tensile stresses at the 3 zones - neck, body, heel of the dam due to these 5 strong ground motions is analyzed. The point of highest tensile stress is most susceptible to damage and failure in the face of an earthquake. When the structure is exposed to the ground motions, under normalized peak ground accelerations (PGAs), the structure behaves differently based on the effect of the frequency content of the input signal. By Normalizing the PGA of the ground motion, we grasp an idea of the effect of frequency content on the dam structure. Keywords: Gravity dam; Stress analysis; Qualitative failure analysis; Frequency Content; Deterministic Analysis