Evidence indicates that the dynamic behavior of Rigid Wall – Flexible Diaphragm (RWFD) structures is dominated by the diaphragm’s response instead of the walls’ response, and this is a significant departure from the underlying assumptions of the widely used equivalent lateral force method in current building codes. RWFD buildings are common in North America and other parts of the world, and inc...

The mechanism of earthquake energy input to building structures is clarified by considering the surface ground amplification and soil-structure interaction. The earthquake input energies to superstructures, soil-foundation systems and total swaying-rocking system are obtained by taking the corresponding appropriate free bodies into account and defining the energy transfer functions. It has been...

Pulse period of earthquake records has been known as a key parameter in seismology and earthquake engineering. This paper presents a detailed characterization of this parameter for a special class of earthquake records called pulse-like ground motions. This type of motions often resulting from directivity effects is characterized by a strong pulse in the velocity time history of motion, in norm...

Recently, there has been increasing interest in simulating all aspects of the seismic risk problem, from the source mechanism to the propagation of seismic waves to nonlinear time-history analysis of structural response and finally to building damage and repair costs. This study presents a framework for performing truly “end-to-end” simulation. A recent region-wide study of tall steel-frame bui...

The rather moderate sized (magnitude 6.6) Bihar earthquake of August 21, 1988 demonstrated clearly that the Indian Engineering profession is far from prepared for a larger earthquake. During the author's extensive travel within the areas affected by this earthquake, it became clearer that the engineering community should immediately initiate serious and coordinated efforts to prepare for the po...

In general, earthquake disasters in urban areas can hardly be handled by the operable disaster response teams of the affected region. An efficient and integrated disaster management could support their activities and help to limit human losses. Based on EQSIM, a damage estimation tool developed within the German Collaborative Research Centre 461: “Strong Earthquakes, a Challenge for Geosciences...

M. MOMENI A. SHAFIEE, M. HEIDARI, M. K. JAFARI AND M. R. MAHDAVIFAR Dept. of Civil Engineering, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, I. R. of Iran Email: [email protected] Geotechnical Engineering Research Center, International Institute of Earthquake Engineering and Seismology, No. 26, W. Arghavan St., N. Dibaji St., Tehran, I. R. of Iran Geology Dept., Facu...

Performance-based earthquake engineering organizes the explicit quantification of building seismic performance and risk, facilitating risk-informed design mitigation decisions. However, little work has been done to benchmark outcomes from these procedures with available empirical evidence past earthquakes. In this study, we end-to-end FEMA P-58 performance-based methodology against data Califor...

In this practical arts-integrated science and engineering lesson, an inquiry-based approach was adopted to teach a class of fourth graders in a Midwest elementary school about the scientific concepts of plate tectonics and earthquakes. Lessons were prepared following the 5 E instructional model. Next Generation Science Standards (4-ESS3-2) and the National Coalition for Core Arts Standards for ...

Semi-active control devices have been shown to be more energy efficient than active devices and more effective in reducing seismic structural vibration than passive devices. A new type of semi-active control device, the piezoelectric friction damper has been made in this paper. Piezoelectric actuators used in the dampers can quickly and accurately respond to a voltage signal. They are also effe...