Incremental Dynamic Analysis Research Articles

Seismic drifts of buildings through deep neural networks circumventing incremental dynamic analysis: Aims and pitfalls for robust and reliable predictions

In the field of seismic response assessment, simplified procedures have long been pursued to circumvent the rigorous, state-of-the-art nonlinear response history analysis (NRHA) and incremental dynamic analysis (IDA) that typically require tedious computations. To this end, this study investigates artificial neural networks (ANN) as prediction models to bypass IDA and quickly and reliably determine the structural drift responses of buildings, without employing surrogate models or analysis techniques that lower the quality of the estimates. Three designs of such prediction models are identified in terms of their scope, implementation and corresponding database, commonly employed in research, while identifying common pitfalls in their design. The investigations involve ten steel-frame multi-story structures, considering cyclic and in-cycle material deterioration and P-Delta phenomena. More than 17-thousand recorded ground motions (GM) are employed to perform IDA on these frame-building models, resulting in a unique database of responses ranging from linear to collapse, with more than 3-million NRHA. Based on this database, a prediction model is developed for each building, capable of predicting the IDA under a GM excitation not included in the database. Additionally, another prediction model is developed that can predict the IDA of a building under a GM excitation, both of which are not included in the database. These investigations show that ANN are excellent tools to circumvent IDA and capture the record-to-record uncertainty by rapidly and reliably predicting structural drifts ranging from linear responses to the collapse limit state, while building-to-building predictions are additionally feasible if the employed database is appropriate.

Fragility Analysis of Masonry Structures Subjected to Random Sequential Ground Motions

In this study, a fragility analysis of masonry structures is conducted using a random sequential ground motion model. Initially, the relationship between a mainshock and its aftershocks is clarified based on the physical mechanism of “source-path-local site”. Building on this, the random sequential ground motion model is developed by integrating a point-source model with a homogeneous isotropic medium model. A five-story masonry structure model is then constructed in ABAQUS (6.14), and its accuracy is validated through experimental testing. Following this, 21 sets of random sequential ground motions are generated. Using the Incremental Dynamic Analysis (IDA) method, 1260 nonlinear response samples of the structure under varying sequential ground motions are obtained, providing an insight into the fragility of the masonry structure subjected to these ground motions.

Sensitivity of seismic fragility curves to multiple parameters using CyberShake simulated ground motions

AbstractSeveral alternatives exist to compute seismic fragility curves. This study takes advantage of the large pool of site‐specific CyberShake simulated ground motions (GMs) to investigate the sensitivity of fragility curves to multiple analysis parameters: the analysis method (Multiple Stripe Analysis (MSA), Cloud Analysis (CA), or Incremental Dynamic Analysis), the number and intensity measure distribution of the GMs used, the GM selection method, and the amount of scaling. To this end, the fragility curve of a two‐dimensional steel frame is calculated for every analysis variation at the life safety limit state. By varying one parameter at a time, we can separate the effects of the various parameters from one another. We also assess the effect of the analysis parameters on the mean annual rate of exceedance of life safety. We find that if GMs are selected adequately for each method, different analysis methods can lead to consistent mean annual rates of exceedance despite some differences in their fragility curves. Generally, MSA and the proposed CA that models the increase of response variability with ground motion intensity best match empirical fragility points. The number of GMs affects the results for all analysis methods, while the intensity distribution of GMs affects results differently in different methods. When GMs are required to match earthquake scenario parameters in addition to intensity, more conservative fragility curves are obtained. Finally, fragility curves are sensitive to excessive scaling. This study provides important insights for performance‐based earthquake engineering.

A novel optimization‐based modal pushover analysis procedure for estimating the response of structures

AbstractIn recent years, studies have focused on the seismic behavior of various structural systems, including single‐ and double‐layered spatial structures. While nonlinear dynamic analyses are common for these studies, they are time‐consuming and complex. To address this, many pushover procedures have been developed, but their effectiveness in spatial structures remains underexplored. This study introduces an optimized lateral loading profile for evaluating the seismic response of walled bilayer spatial structures. By combining dominant inertial forces and optimizing their corresponding coefficients with the particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm, an optimal loading profile is derived. The method's accuracy was tested on models with varying arch height‐to‐span ratios and a constant wall height‐to‐span ratio, as well as a 15‐story frame structure. The results obtained showed that the proposed method closely matches incremental dynamic analyses (IDAs) in predicting base shear, initial stiffness, and displacements, especially for higher arch height‐to‐span ratios. Additionally, the method accurately estimates drift profiles and nodal displacements on roofs and walls, and performs better than similar mode‐based methods for frame structures.

Fragility curves evaluation of cemented material dam (CMD) utilizing incremental dynamic analysis

Fragility curves evaluation of cemented material dam (CMD) utilizing incremental dynamic analysis

Vibrations Control of a SODF Structure Using TMD and MR Damper with Fuzzy Logic Algorithm Based on Velocity

In this study, the effects of using a passive tuned mass damper (TMD) with optimal parameters and a semi-active magnetorheological damper (MR damper) have been evaluated separately and simultaneously to control seismic vibrations of a linear single degree of freedom system, which was a simple "mass-spring-damper" model. OpenSEES software was used to model the single degree of freedom system and TMD, and MATLAB software was used to model MR damper. Fuzzy logic algorithm was used by MATLAB to determine the appropriate voltage for MR damper. By solving the dynamic equation of the damper, its force was calculated and this force was applied to the single degree of freedom system by OpenSEES. In the following, incremental dynamic analysis (IDA) has been performed using 7 earthquake records with maximum acceleration of 0.1g to1.0g with incremental step of 0.1g. Earthquakes are applied to four models without dampers, equipped with optimized TMD, equipped with MR damper, and equipped with both TMD and MR damper. The results showed that the simultaneous use of TMD and MR damper had the greatest effect on controlling the vibration of the system and reduced the maximum displacement by 22.36% and the maximum base shear by 21.85% compared to the case without dampers. Also, using only MR damper had a greater effect than using only TMD on reducing the seismic responses of the single degree of freedom system.

Seismically induced torsional amplification in limited ductile buildings

This article deals with the seismic demand on limited ductile buildings featuring plan asymmetry. When the yielding occurs in a structural wall positioned at the edge of the building remote from the centre of resistance (CR), the position of the CR would shift even further away from the wall, causing an additional, and momentarily, increase in torsion. The undesirable shift in the position of the CR is usually shortlived and would reverse as other walls in the building also surpass the yield limit. However, the limited ductile construction (typical of low to moderate seismicity regions) can be vulnerable. This additional amplification in torsion can only be captured by Incremental Dynamic Analyses (IDA), but not by elastic analyses nor by nonlinear analyses of high ductility demand. Thus, the phenomenon as described is not widely known in spite of torsion being a well researched topic. In this study, parametric studies employing IDA of limited ductile buildings of different structural configurations were undertaken to capture the trends and develop recommendations for guiding structural design.

Risk Assessment of Overturning of Freestanding Non-Structural Building Contents in Buckling-Restrained Braced Frames

The increasing demand in structural engineering now extends beyond collapse prevention to encompass business continuity planning (BCP). In response, energy dissipation devices have garnered significant attention for building response control. Among these, buckling-restrained braces (BRBs) are particularly favored due to their stable hysteretic behavior and well-established design provisions. However, BCP also necessitates the prevention of furniture overturning—an area that remains quantitatively underexplored in the context of buckling-restrained braced frames (BRBFs). Addressing this gap, this research designs BRBFs using various design criteria and performs incremental dynamic analysis (IDA) with artificially generated seismic waves. The results are compared with previously developed fragility curves for furniture overturning under different BRB design conditions. The findings demonstrate that the fragility of furniture overturning can be mitigated by a natural frequency shift, which alters the threshold of critical peak floor acceleration. These results, combined with hazard curves obtained from various locations across Japan, quantify the mean annual frequency of furniture overturning. The study reveals that increased floor acceleration in stiffer BRBFs can lead to a 3.8-fold higher risk of furniture overturning compared to frames without BRBs. This heightened risk also arises from the greater hazards at shorter natural periods due to stricter response reduction demands. The probabilistic risk analysis, which integrates fragility and hazard assessments, provides deeper insights into the evaluation of BCP.

Study on the Susceptibility of Steel Arches with Letting Pressure Nodes Based on Incremental Dynamic Analysis

When soft rock tunnels pass through fractured fault zones, they are particularly susceptible to extrusion and large-scale deformations, especially during seismic events. To address these challenges, this study introduces an innovative yield-support steel arch design featuring a circumferential letting pressure node at its core. This design delivers incremental support resistance within the deformation zone and a susceptibility curve is applied to evaluate the damage probability of the steel arch with a letting pressure node under seismic loading conditions. Measurements of the surrounding rock pressure and structural forces on the steel arch with the letting pressure node were conducted at the Baoshan Jewel Mountain Tunnel in China. The field experiment results revealed a 23% reduction in the surrounding rock pressure and an 11% decrease in the internal forces of the support structure. These findings demonstrate the successful application of the letting pressure node-supported steel arch in mitigating large deformations in soft rock environments. Additionally, using finite element software ANSYS 2022, a seismic time-history analysis was conducted, employing the relative deformation rate of the letting pressure node steel arch as the damage index and the peak ground acceleration (PGA) as the strength parameter to generate the incremental dynamic analysis (IDA) curve. According to the susceptibility curve derived from the incremental dynamic analysis, at the design ground motion level of 8 degrees, the letting pressure node steel arch has a 94% probability of exceeding its normal service life limit and experiencing damage. The findings of this study offer a novel approach to addressing large deformations in soft rock tunnels. The proposed susceptibility curves for steel arches with letting pressure nodes provide a robust foundation for predicting the damage probability of yielding support structures under seismic conditions.

Structural and non-structural fragility curves for low-rise mainshock-damaged buildings subjected to aftershocks

The seismic response of mainshock-damaged buildings under aftershocks is an important topic in terms of the lateral response of damaged structures. The majority of current seismic design standards just consider a single earthquake (mainshock/design earthquake) and they don’t take into account the influence of aftershocks on the seismic design process. The aftershocks could have significant effects on the seismic response of mainshock-damaged structures. This situation was reported in some of the previous earthquake events in which the aftershocks caused additional damage to the structures. In this study, the fragility curves for structural and non-structural Drift-Sensitive Components (DSCs) and Acceleration-Sensitive Components (ASCs) of two low-rise mainshock-damaged moment resisting steel and reinforcement concrete buildings under the effect of aftershocks with different intensities were presented. The intensity of the mainshocks was adjusted until the intact buildings experienced three levels of damage states including slight, moderate and extensive damage states. After that, the fragility curve of the structural and non-structural components of the mainshock-damaged buildings under the effect of aftershocks was evaluated by the Incremental Dynamic Analysis (IDA). The results show that the effect of aftershocks on the probability of damage to structural and non-structural components of mainshock-damaged structures is related to the level of the initial damage. For slightly and moderately mainshock-damaged buildings, the probability of exceedance of the damage under aftershocks is relatively similar to the intact buildings, however, the aftershocks significantly increase the probability of damage to the extensively mainshock-damaged buildings. Although extensive initial damage causes a significant increase in the probability of damage to non-structural DSCs, the damage probability of non-structural ASCs remains relatively as similar to intact buildings. Regarding the HAZUS manual, the results show that the probability of damage exceedance of the structural components is higher than non-structural ASCs, however, the opposite observation was reported from the previous earthquakes. Therefore, in this study, four levels of damage threshold for non-structural ASCs are proposed.

Fragility analysis of long-span lightweight steel structures subjected to combined earthquake and non-uniform snow loads

Lightweight steel structures are commonly used in industrial facilities due to their low weight, high strength, and excellent performance. The design of these structures for cold regions not only has to consider the effects of earthquakes but also the negative impact of snow loads. Industrial structures often have long spans, and the effects of uneven snow loads cannot be underestimated. However, relatively few studies have focused on the performance of lightweight steel structures under the influence of combined earthquake and non-uniform snow loads. Therefore, this study assessed the seismic fragility of a typical single-span, double-sloped lightweight steel factory under combined earthquake and non-uniform snow loads using incremental dynamic analysis. Non-uniform snow loads, as compared to uniform snow loads, substantially increase the structural displacement responses, thereby increasing the structural failure risk. The improved structural design developed in this study effectively decreases the impact of adverse loading scenarios and enhances the multi-hazard resilience of the structure. Accordingly, these results can serve as an important theoretical guide for enhancing the safety of lightweight steel structures subjected to multiple hazards in cold regions.

Effect of prevalent irregular configuration of infills on the seismic collapse of Indian RC buildings

Rapid urbanization and land scarcity obligated the urban population for multi-use of Reinforced Concrete (RC) buildings to meet both residential and commercial purposes together. Un-Reinforced Masonry (URM) infills are often placed irregularly in plan and or elevation of the buildings in some floor(s), particularly in the ground floor to suit the need of occupational requirements accompanied by the inherent irregularities due to openings for doors and windows to meet functional requirements for residence. Seismic performance of infilled frame highly depends upon degree of infill-frame interaction, and it is of utmost importance to classify infilled frame buildings in various Model Building Types (MBTs) based on the type of irregular placement of infills in addition to the parameters affecting seismic performance. Based on field pilot surveys carried out in Indian cities, URM infilled buildings have been classified into 14 different MBTs. Seismic performance of the prevalent categories of MBTs have been evaluated through Incremental Dynamic Analysis (IDA). It has been observed that irregular placement of infills increases the seismic collapse risk significantly, and reduces collapse capacity to approximately 50% as compared to ideal uniformly infilled building. Global collapse occurred due to failure of structural members in the vicinity of irregularity created due to infills.

Fragility analysis of existing RCC frame structure

This In recent years, number of studies have been carried out for the evaluation of vulnerability of structure during seismic events. Fragility analysis is one of the important probabilistic approach to estimate the damage data at different damage state during seismic events. The G+7 Reinforced Concrete frame structure is considered for analysis. The structure is analyzed in ETABS by Non-linear Pushover Analysis. Fragility curve developed for Non-linear Pushover Analysis from results obtained by capacity spectrum method for different damage states. The fragility curves are derived from analytical method. The fragility points for different damage states are derived from analytical formula. Fragility curve is plotted for probability in Y-axis and spectral displacement in X-axis for 4 different damage states from Non-linear Pushover Analysis. From Incremental Dynamic Analysis fragility curve plotted for probability in Y-axis and peak ground acceleration in X-axis for five different damage state. The behavior of fragility curve after achieving the 100% probability for different damage state is constant.

Nonlinear dynamic study on existing masonry-infilled concrete frames retrofitted with timber panels

This study investigates the dynamic performance of a timber-based seismic retrofit for existing reinforced concrete (RC) buildings, named RC-TP. The core of the proposed retrofit intervention is the replacement of the existing masonry infills with structural timber panels that are connected to the concrete elements using metal dowel-type fasteners and a timber subframe. The unreinforced frames were designed according to codes in force in the 60 s and 70 s, considering exclusively gravity loads to simulate a condition common to a large part of the built heritage across Europe. The seismic performance of single-storey single-bay frames before and after the application of the RC-TP retrofit was assessed via nonlinear simulations, for which the incremental dynamic analysis method was adopted. The results of the extensive dynamic study show the effectiveness of the RC-TP retrofit in increasing the seismic acceleration resisted by the frames and their base shear capacity and in promoting a more ductile failure mechanism. Some general considerations helpful in guiding the implementation of the retrofit system were also drawn.

Seismic risk assessment of partially self-centering braced frames designed with multiple-objective-based method

Partially self-centering building structures are promising seismic resilient systems by balancing the reduction of residual deformations, nonstructural loss, and initial construction costs. This research seeks to establish a multiple-objective-design (MOD) approach for partially self-centering buckling restrained braced frames (PSBRBFs) and explore the risks associated with collapse, demolition, and nonstructural damage in PSBRBFs designed using the MOD approach. The peak displacement is set as an objective for achieving the desired collapse-prevention performance while the residual displacement is set as another objective to ensure the expected post-earthquake repairability. To this end, the step-by-step procedures of the MOD method are introduced based on the prediction models of peak and residual displacements of PSBRBFs. 6 building cases are designed with the MOD method. The dynamic results demonstrate that analyzed PSBRBFs can simultaneously achieve the targeted peak and residual displacements, validating the effectiveness of the MOD method. Seismic fragility assessments are conducted utilizing incremental dynamic analyses (IDAs) to investigate the influence of different performance objectives (i.e., different target peak and residual displacements) on the collapse, demolition, and nonstructural damage probabilities of PSBRBFs. And seismic risks of the designed PSBRBFs are investigated with the consideration of earthquake hazard risks. Results indicate that the demolition risks of the designed PSBRBFs are all larger than the corresponding collapse risks. Based on the analysis results, high PID and low RID design targets were recommended for practical applications to achieve excellent performance against demolition and comparable performance in avoiding collapse and nonstructural damage.

Seismic performance assessment and fragility analysis of concrete structures equipped with self-centered hybrid wall systems

ABSTRACT In this study, comprehensive analytical and parametric studies were conducted on seismic performance, collapse and fragility curves of concrete structures equipped with self-centered unbonded post-tensioned hybrid wall system in comparison with conventional structural wall system. For this purpose, analytical models of prototype buildings were developed and to further study the behaviour of hybrid wall, parametric analysis was performed considering four parameters: wall aspect ratio, initial stress of post-tensioned tendons, the total area of PT tendons, the total area of mild bars. The performance of buildings was evaluated under non-linear quasi cyclic and time history method considering two seismic hazard levels, the design-based earthquake level and the risk-targeted maximum credible earthquake level. Hysteresis response, energy dissipation ability and damping ratio, relative self-centering efficiency, residual drift, peak roof drift, column curvature ductility, incremental dynamic analysis data, seismic collapse assessment and fragility curves for collapse and repairable limit states were studied.

A simplified model for seismic risk assessment of three-dimensional irregular steel moment frame buildings

Seismic risk assessment of irregular buildings requires nonlinear dynamic analysis and three-dimensional (3D) models. However, creating and analyzing such models can be intricate and time-consuming, making the assessment process challenging. Furthermore, this complexity escalates when evaluating building stocks or generating a dataset of buildings with diverse attributes for use in learning algorithms. Therefore, this paper proposes an energy-based model for irregular steel moment-resisting frame buildings to simplify 3D models and improve the time efficiency of structural assessment compared to conventional 3D models. The proposed model is derived from the fish-bone model but has enhanced configuration, elastic, and inelastic properties. These improvements aim to broaden its applicability to encompass 3D irregular mid-rise buildings. Four-, six-, and nine-story irregular buildings in plan and height are utilized to validate the proposed model. The responses investigated in these buildings include eigenvalues, pushover curves, time history responses, incremental dynamic analysis results, fragility curves, and risk analysis outcomes. The findings demonstrate that the simplified model responses are in close agreement with those of 3D models. The comparison of results between the proposed simplified model and existing models indicates that the accuracy of the simplified model is at least 2.2 times that of the existing models. Moreover, it provides an average error reduction of 60 % in contrast to the existing models. These advancements have been achieved while the proposed simplified model maintains a level of time efficiency comparable to the current models. The results from the analysis of the created buildings using the proposed simplified model indicate that the model is suitable for application in the seismic risk assessment of building inventories and generating datasets for future research involving machine learning-based methodologies.

Multidimensional Seismic Fragility Study of Intake Towers Based on Incremental Dynamic Analysis

Assessing the fragility of intake towers using a single damage index does not allow for accurate evaluation of the potential for structural damage under seismic conditions. In this study, based on the probabilistic seismic demand analysis method, the effects of ground motion intensity on maximum displacement, local damage index, and global damage index are considered, and the seismic fragility of an intake tower structure is analyzed. First, 10 natural ground motion records were selected from the ground motion database (PEER) and 2 artificial seismic waves were synthesized. These seismic waves were amplitude-modulated for incremental dynamic analysis (IDA). The trends of the IDA curves were analyzed to divide the performance levels of the intake tower structure. Furthermore, a two-dimensional fragility curve for the intake tower structure was plotted in this study. The maximum displacement in the direction of parallel flow and the damage index were taken into account in the two-dimensional fragility curve. The results show that, under the designed seismic acceleration, the two-dimensional fragility curve for the intake tower structure was lower than the one-dimensional curve. This indicates that the seismic design based on the one-dimensional performance index was unstable. This provides a theoretical reference for seismic optimization design and the strengthening of intake towers. Therefore, it is recommended to use multidimensional fragility analysis to study the seismic performance of intake tower structures in seismic design.

Seismic assessment of glulam frames with dual-tube self-centering buckling-restrained braces

The development of resilient lateral load-resisting systems is essential for multi-story and high-rise timber buildings in earthquake-prone areas. In this paper, an attempt is made to integrate dual-tube self-centering buckling-restrained braces (DT-SCBRBs) to glulam frames, aiming to improve their structural resilience to earthquakes. To assess the seismic effectiveness of such a DT-SCBRB glulam frame, nonlinear time-history analyses (NLTHAs) were conducted on a series of prototype DT-SCBRB glulam frames with different building heights and design parameters of DT-SCBRBs. The seismic performance of these prototype structures was evaluated in terms of maximum inter-story drift ratios (MaxISDRs), residual inter-story drift ratios (ResISDRs), and inter-story drift uniformity. The results show that the frame with lower post-tensioning-to-yielding ratios of DT-SCBRBs tended to exhibit lower MaxISDRs but could sometimes lead to higher ResISDRs under major earthquakes. Low deformability of tendons could result in tendon fracture under major earthquakes. The ResISDRs of all the prototype frames were lower than 0.5 %, the drift limit for the “Repairable” performance level. Compared to minor and moderate earthquakes, the DT-SCBRB glulam frames deformed more uniformly during major earthquakes. Incremental dynamic analyses (IDAs) were also conducted on these prototype structures, developing a database to quantify performance levels of DT-SCBRB glulam frames. The MaxISDRs of 0.5 %, 0.7 %, and 2.6 % were recommended for immediate occupancy (IO), life safety (LS), and collapse prevention (CP) limit states of DT-SCBRB glulam frames.

Sufficiency assessment of intensity measures for natural and spectral-matched ground motion records

A correct Intensity Measure (IM) selection is essential for Performance-Based Earthquake Engineering (PBEE) applications, as any probabilistic seismic demand model (PSDM) depends significantly on the IM. If a single IM can describe the complexity of the corresponding ground motion record, it can be defined as sufficient in an absolute sense. However, this is unlikely because a single number should be able to inform on the frequency content, the amplitude, the duration, the energy content, etc. For this reason, literature studies have defined sufficiency in a relative sense to investigate whether one IM is more sufficient (i.e., more informative) than another in predicting the structural response. This work explores the relative sufficiency of eight scalar IMs through Nonlinear Response History Analyses (NRHAs) using two sets of 20 pairs of ground motion records. Both sets are spectrum-compatible and consist of unscaled natural and spectral-matched records. Also, both Cloud and Incremental Dynamic Analysis procedures are used. This study demonstrates that Cloud analysis cannot be used in its conventional form to study sufficiency when spectral-matched accelerograms are used. When natural accelerograms are employed, the results clearly indicate the existence of a sufficient IM among those selected. Conversely, it is more difficult to define the relative sufficiency of the IMs for spectral-matched records because the operation of record adjusting leads to similar structural demands. This result could question either the validity of using spectral-matched accelerograms for PBEE due to the lack of aleatory variability in the structural demand or the necessity of having a sufficient IM when a PSDM is fitted in a PBEE analysis using spectral-matched accelerograms.