Response History Analysis Of Buildings Research Articles

Simplified nonlinear modeling for estimating the seismic response of buildings

Simplified nonlinear modeling for estimating the seismic response of buildings has the advantages of providing structural perception and computational efficiency. Therefore, such modeling is useful for preliminary structural design and seismic simulation of large numbers of buildings. The generalized building model (GBM), which consists of a pure shear stick, a pure flexural stick, and N lumped masses, has been satisfactorily used for elastic seismic analyses of N-story buildings in previous research. The present study develops the inelastic properties of the sticks of all stories in the GBM so that the enhanced GBM can be used for nonlinear response history analysis of buildings. The effectiveness of the enhanced GBM is verified by comparing the seismic responses of a three-story reinforced concrete building and a nine-story steel building estimated using the GBM with those obtained from corresponding finite element models.

Two-degree-of-freedom modal response history analysis of buildings with specific vertical irregularities

Vertically irregular buildings with strong or stiff-and-strong lower stories such as setback buildings are common in engineering practice. However, besides a sophisticated nonlinear response history analysis, there seems to be no simplified seismic analysis method suitable for this type of building. Thus, this study explores a two-degree-of-freedom (2DOF) modal system for representing each vibration mode of such buildings. The upper and lower degrees of the 2DOF modal system respectively simulate the modal responses of the two distinct parts (i.e., the upper stories and the lower stories) of a building with strong or stiff-and-strong lower stories. Instead of a conventional single degree-of-freedom modal system, the 2DOF modal system is employed in the modal response history analysis of buildings with the specific vertical irregularities. The effectiveness of the proposed seismic analysis method is verified by investigating four 9-story and four 20-story buildings, which have the lower stories stronger or stiffer-and-stronger than the upper stories. Each of the eight example buildings is subjected to three ensembles of ground motion records.

Determining Bidirectional Ground Motions for Nonlinear Response History Analysis of Buildings at Far-Field Sites

The current practice for selecting bidirectional ground motions (GM pairs) to conduct nonlinear response history analysis (RHA) of multistory buildings is restricted to those with a symmetric plan. To overcome such limitations, we propose selecting GM pairs to be consistent with a pair of target spectra defined along the structural axes, enabling a unique azimuth to be determined for each GM pair. We develop two new target spectra: (1) the s-GCMS for two horizontal components of GM and (2) the CMS-UHS Composite Spectrum. Based on nonlinear RHAs of buildings with both symmetric and unsymmetric plans, the CMS-UHS Composite Spectrum is shown to be the best alternative to the current practice of utilizing multiple CMSs, because it provides accurate demands with minimal computational effort and can be easily constructed using existing PSHA tools.

Response to John Hall's Discussion (EQE‐16‐0008) to Chopra and McKenna's paper, ‘Modeling viscous damping in nonlinear response history analysis of buildings for earthquake excitation’

Response to John Hall's Discussion (EQE‐16‐0008) to Chopra and McKenna's paper, ‘Modeling viscous damping in nonlinear response history analysis of buildings for earthquake excitation’

Discussion of ‘Modelling viscous damping in nonlinear response history analysis of buildings for earthquake excitation’ by Anil K. Chopra and Frank McKenna

SummaryThis discussion deals with recommendations in the paper on appropriate damping formulations for use in nonlinear response history analysis of buildings. Concern over potentially excessive damping forces and moments should extend beyond the damping moments produced by the stiffness proportional part of Rayleigh damping that corresponds to rotational springs used to explicitly model plastic hinges. The key to an appropriate damping formulation for nonlinear analysis is a realistic mechanism that allows all damping forces and moments to be meaningfully assessed. Then features can be added to keep these forces and moments within reasonable bounds. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Modeling viscous damping in nonlinear response history analysis of buildings for earthquake excitation

SummaryThe Rayleigh damping model, which is pervasive in nonlinear response history analysis (RHA) of buildings, is shown to develop ‘spurious’ damping forces and lead to inaccurate response results. We prove that a viscous damping matrix constructed by superposition of modal damping matrices—irrespective of the number of modes included or values assigned to modal damping ratios—completely eliminates the ‘spurious’ damping forces. This is the damping model recommended for nonlinear RHA.Replacing the stiffness‐proportional part of Rayleigh damping by the tangent stiffness matrix is shown to improve response results. However, this model is not recommended because it lacks a physical basis and has conceptual implications that are troubling: hysteresis in damping force–velocity relationship and negative damping at large displacements. Furthermore, the model conflicts with the constant‐damping model that has been the basis for fundamental concepts and accumulated experience about the inelastic response of structures.With a distributed plasticity model, the structural response is not sensitive to the damping model; even the Rayleigh damping model leads to acceptable results. This perspective on damping provides yet another reason to employ the superior distributed plasticity models in nonlinear RHA.OpenSees software has been extended to include a damping matrix defined as the superposition of modal damping matrices. Although this model leads to a full populated damping matrix, the additional computational demands are demonstrated to be minimal. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Estimating seismic demands for performance-based engineering of steel buildings

Author(s): Reyes, Juan Carlos | Advisor(s): Chopra, Anil K | Abstract: Earthquake engineering practice is increasingly using performance-based procedures for evaluating existing buildings and proposed designs of new buildings. Both nonlinear static and nonlinear response history analyses (RHA) are used for estimating engineering demand parameters (EDPs)--floor displacements, story drifts, internal forces, hinge rotation, etc--in performance-based engineering of buildings. Topics related to both analysis procedures are investigated in this dissertation.In the first part, the original modal pushover analysis (MPA) to estimate seismic demands due to one component of ground motion is extended to consider two horizontal components simultaneously in three-dimensional analysis of buildings, and to estimate internal forces and plastic hinge rotations directly from pushover analyses. Subsequently, the accuracy of MPA in estimating EDPs for tall buildings and unsymmetric-plan buildings is evaluated. Seismic demands for recently designed and built 48- and 62-story buildings with ductile concrete core walls--designed according to the alternative provisions of the 2001 San Francisco Building Code (SFBC)--due to an ensemble of 30 ground motions are computed by MPA and nonlinear RHA, and compared. We demonstrate that MPA procedure shows degree of accuracy that is sufficient for practical application in estimating median values of EDPs for tall buildings subjected to two horizontal components of ground motion. The accuracy of the extended MPA procedure is also evaluated for low- and medium-rise unsymmetric-plan buildings with ductile frames designed in accordance with the 1985 Uniform Building Code (UBC85) and the 2006 International Building Code (IBC06). Seismic demands are computed for six unsymmetric-plan buildings due to 39 ground motions acting simultaneously in two orthogonal horizontal directions. Comparing these results with those from nonlinear RHA, we demonstrate that MPA provides good estimates of EDPs whereas the procedures specified in the ASCE/SEI 41-06 standard and the Eurocode 8 are not satisfactory for estimating seismic demands for unsymmetric-plan buildings.The second part of the dissertation concerns nonlinear response history analysis of buildings. With the goal of developing effective procedures for selection and scaling of multi-component ground motions to be used in nonlinear RHA, a modal-pushover-based-scaling (MPS) procedure is developed in this investigation. The developed MPS procedure is an extension of the original MPS procedure for one component of ground motion to two horizontal components. In this investigation, each horizontal component of ground motion is scaled by a factor selected to match the deformation of its inelastic SDF system to a target inelastic deformation that may be estimated using a design (or response) spectrum. The properties of the inelastic SDF system are determined by pushover analysis of the building using the first-mode distribution. Based on the results for medium-rise symmetric-plan and unsymmetric-plan buildings with ductile frames, we demonstrate that the MPS procedure provides much superior results than the scaling procedure specified in the ASCE/SEI 7-05 standard.

Pros and Cons of Rotating Ground Motion Records to Fault-Normal/Parallel Directions for Response History Analysis of Buildings

According to the regulatory building codes in the United States (e.g., 2010 California Building Code), at least two horizontal ground motion components are required for three-dimensional (3D) response history analysis (RHA) of building structures. For sites within 5 km of an active fault, these records should be rotated to fault-normal/fault-parallel (FN/FP) directions, and two RHAs should be performed separately (when FN and then FP are aligned with the transverse direction of the structural axes). It is assumed that this approach will lead to two sets of responses that envelope the range of possible responses over all nonredundant rotation angles. This assumption is examined here, for the first time, using a 3D computer model of a six-story reinforced-concrete instrumented building subjected to an ensemble of bidirectional near-fault ground motions. Peak values of engineering demand parameters (EDPs) were computed for rotation angles ranging from 0 through 180° to quantify the difference between peak values of EDPs over all rotation angles and those due to FN/FP direction rotated motions. It is demonstrated that rotating ground motions to FN/FP directions (1) does not always lead to the maximum responses over all angles, (2) does not always envelope the range of possible responses, and (3) does not provide maximum responses for all EDPs simultaneously even if it provides a maximum response for a specific EDP.