Continuous rigid frame bridge is a common type of bridge in California, where is a seismically active areas. Main structural features of the bridge, including asymmetry, hinge structure, concretion of girder and piers affect the seismic response of the bridge significantly. In order to evaluate the safety of the bridge under earthquake, the nonlinear models of girder, limiting steels in hinge, ...

Earthquake early warning (EEW) systems are currently operating nationwide in Japan and are in beta-testing in California. Such a system detects an earthquake initiation using online signals from a seismic sensor network and broadcasts a warning of the predicted location and magnitude a few seconds to a minute or so before an earthquake hits a site. Such a system can be used synergistically with...

an energy based damage index based on a new nonlinear finite element (fe) approach applicable to rc structures subjected to cyclic, earthquake or monotonic loading is proposed. the proposed method is based on the evaluation of nonlinear local degradation of materials and taking into account of the pseudo-plastic hinge produced in the critical sections of the structure. a computer program is dev...

The Great Hanshin Earthquake had affected seriously on many highway bridges in Hanshin area. From a lot of investigations about the failure mechanisms on the highway bridges during strong earthquake, it was found that the consideration as a highway bridge system which consists of many structural elements such as piles, footings, piers, bearings, restrainers, super structures, etc. is very impor...

The evolution of plastic deformation and damage in steel frame buildings caused by seismic action is simulated based on a modified damage model. This model combines nonlinear isotropic and kinematic hardening criteria with a damage evolution law expressed in terms of plastic displacement. A nine-story steel frame is chosen as a reference structure, and a nonlinear damage analysis is performed u...

Seismic record of an earthquake contains important and significant data about characteristics of a ground motion. In this study, interdependencies between important seismic parameters and three overall structural damage indices including the Bracci index, the modified flexural damage ratio (MFDR) index and the drift index were determined for several records of earthquakes occurred in the Iran. ...

To date, prevention of natural disasters is only rarely achieved, and such events continue to pose an increasing threat to life and property. Especially following earthquakes, there is a need for rapid, accurate and reliable damage information in the critical postevent hours. Remote sensing technology can provide valuable information for response activities due to potentially high spatialtempor...

Earthquake mitigation efforts in the United States currently use long-term probabilistic hazard assessments and rapid post-earthquake notification to reduce the potential damage of earthquakes. Here we present the seismological design for and demonstrate the feasibility of a short-term hazard warning system. Using data from past earthquakes, we show that our Earthquake Alarm System (ElarmS) cou...

Basic Quantities from Earthquake Records Earthquakes are complex, dynamic events. In order to describe and work with them, a vocabulary of terms is necessary. Terms describing the intensity or magnitude of an earthquake give the engineer a quick estimate of the degree of shaking and damage one would expect. Other values reflect the time history of the earthquake such as acceleration, velocity, ...