Dynamic characteristics, named as natural frequencies, damping ratios and mode shapes, affect the dynamic behavior of buildings and they vary depending on the construction stages. It is aimed to present the effects of construction stages on the dynamic characteristics of reinforced concrete (RC) buildings considering theoretical and experimental investigations. For this purpose, a three-storey RC building model with a 1/2 scale was constructed in the laboratory of Civil Engineering Department at Karadeniz Technical University. The modal testing measurements were performed by using Operational Modal Analysis (OMA) method for the bare frame, brick walled and coated cases of the building model. Randomly generated loads by impact hammer were used to vibrate the building model; the responses were measured by uni-axial seismic accelerometers as acceleration. The building's modal parameters at these construction stages were extracted from the processed signals using the Enhanced Frequency Domain Decomposition (EFDD) technique. Also, the finite element models of each case were developed and modal analyses were performed. It was observed from the experimental and theoretical investigations that the natural frequencies of the building model varied depending on the construction stages considerably.
This paper presents the reliability analysis of the frame structures with semi-rigid connections. For this purpose, the SEMIFEM finite element program that is capable of dealing with the semi-rigid connections is coded in FORTRAN. Then, this program is connected to the reliability algorithm. The direct coupling method, which is a combination of the reliability method and finite element method, is utilized to determine the reliability indexes and probabilities of failure for the structure. The first order reliability method (FORM) is the one favored in the present reliability analysis. Two sets of steel framed structures are analyzed; each of four and eight stories, consisting of a portal frame and three types of concentrically braced frames. Concrete compression strength limit state in reinforced concrete (RC) columns, steel strength limit state in steel braces and inter-story drift limit state are considered in reliability evaluation. According to the limit states, X braced frames are determined as the safest structures, while the portal frames are regarded as the most unsafe structures. As the connection percentage increases, the safety of the structure increases in terms of inter-story drift and steel strength limit states, but decreases for concrete compression strength limit states.
Abstract Dynamic characteristic identification provides an important insight about structural behavior of steel structures. The experimental modal analysis is used to detect dynamic characteristics and consists of several phases. First, forced-vibration tests are carried out, spectral functions are produced, dynamic characteristics are determined by analyzing processed spectral functions, and, finally, analytical models are calibrated or updated depending on experimental analysis results. In this study, forced-vibration testing is conducted on the steel footbridge by using an impact hammer. Low-amplitude broadband excitations are applied using an impact hammer to excite the bridge. The excitation force and measured responses are processed by passing them through a band-pass filter to obtain frequency-response functions, cross-power spectra, auto-power spectra, power spectral densities, and spectrograms. The system-identification procedure is based on input–output measurements. The obtained system-identification results are compared with the analytical results, which were obtained in a different previous study. A very good agreement is observed, thus providing a reliable set of identified modal properties (natural frequencies, damping ratios, and mode shapes) of the structure. The good correlations between analytical and experimental analyses show that no anomalies are detected along the structure. The experimental mode shapes are similar to what is expected from this type of structure. There is not any unexpected mechanism that changes the dynamic characteristics of the system.
The traditional destructive tests in damage detection require high cost, long consuming time, repairing of damaged members, etc. In addition to these, powerful equipments with advanced technology have motivated development of global vibration based damage detection methods. These methods base on observation of the changes in the structural dynamic properties and updating finite element models. The existence, location, severity and effect on the structural behavior of the damages can be identified by using these methods. The main idea in these methods is to minimize the differences between analytical and experimental natural frequencies. In this study, an application of damage detection using model updating method was presented on a one storey reinforced concrete (RC) building model. The model was designed to be 1/2 scale of a real building. The measurements on the model were performed by using ten uni-axial seismic accelerometers which were placed to the floor level. The presented damage identification procedure mainly consists of five steps: initial finite element modeling, testing of the undamaged model, finite element model calibration, testing of the damaged model, and damage detection with model updating. The elasticity modulus was selected as variable parameter for model calibration, while the inertia moment of section was selected for model updating. The first three modes were taken into consideration. The possible damaged members were estimated by considering the change ratio in the inertia moment. It was concluded that the finite element model calibration was required for structures to later evaluations such as damage, fatigue, etc. The presented model updating based procedure was very effective and useful for RC structures in the damage identification.
The paper investigates the structural performance of a seven-story reinforced concrete (RC) building that collapsed during the Van (Turkey) earthquake on October 23, 2011, using nonlinear static and dynamic methods. The selected RC building has two blocks and was designed according to the Turkish Earthquake Code (TEC) in 1975. The site investigation included sections and steel detailing and soil and concrete properties taken after the earthquake. The pushover and nonlinear time history analyses of the building were completed using the existing plan and test and observation data. It is concluded that the building collapses both analysis types.
The aim of this study concerns with the construction stage analysis of highway bridges constructed with balanced cantilever method using time dependent material properties. K<TEX>$\ddot{o}$</TEX>m<TEX>$\ddot{u}$</TEX>rhan Highway Bridge constructed with balanced cantilever method and located on the 51st km of Elazi<TEX>$\check{g}$</TEX>-Malatya, Turkey, highway over Firat River is selected as an application. Finite element models of the bridge are modelled using SAP2000 program. Geometric nonlinearity is taken into consideration in the analysis using P-Delta plus large displacement criterion. The time dependent material strength variations and geometric variations are included in the analysis. Elasticity modulus, creep and shrinkage are computed for different stages of the construction process. The structural behaviour of the bridge at different construction stages has been examined. Two different finite element analyses with and without construction stages are carried out and results are compared with each other. As analyses result, variation of internal forces such as bending moment, axial forces and shear forces for bridge deck and column are given with detail. It is seen that construction stage analysis has remarkable effect on the structural behaviour of the bridge.
On 6 February 2023, two major earthquakes struck Türkiye, with their epicenters in the Pazarcık (M7.7; focal depth: 8.6 km) and Elbistan (M7.6; focal depth: 7 km) districts of Kahramanmaraş city. Most of the dams in the earthquake region remained structurally safe and stable. However, 17 dams in Türkiye and 1 dam in Syria were damaged during the 2023 Kahramanmaraş earthquakes. The main objective of this study was to better understand the real seismic behaviors of the dams during the two mainshocks and significant aftershocks. An earthfill dam, a concrete-faced rockfill dam (CFRD), and a roller-compacted concrete (RCC) dam constructed in the disaster area were selected to identify the real seismic behaviors of different types of dams during strong earthquakes. Acceleration records measured at the crest, right and left abutments, and foundations of the selected dams during the 2023 Kahramanmaraş earthquakes were taken into account to determine the real seismic behavior of the dams before, during, and after the earthquakes. The results of this investigation provide valuable insights into the real seismic behaviors of different types of dams in the vicinity of fault lines during strong earthquakes.
Abstract This study presents earthquake performance analysis of the Torul Concrete-Faced Rockfill (CFR) Dam with two-dimensional dam-soil and dam-soil-reservoir finite element models. The Lagrangian approach was used with fluid elements to model impounded water. The interface elements were used to simulate the slippage between the concrete face slab and the rockfill. The horizontal component of the 1992 Erzincan earthquake, with a peak ground acceleration of 0.515g, was considered in time-history analysis. The Drucker-Prager model was preferred in nonlinear analysis of the concrete slab, rockfill and foundation soil. The maximum principal stresses and the maximum displacements in two opposite directions were compared by the height of the concrete slab according to linear time-history analysis to reveal the effect of reservoir water. The changes of critical displacements and principal stresses with time are also shown in this paper. According to linear and nonlinear time-history analysis, the effect of the reservoir water on the earthquake performance of the Torul CFR Dam was investigated and the possible damage situation was examined. The results show that the hydrodynamic pressure of reservoir water leads to an increase in the maximum displacements and principal stresses of the dam and reduces the earthquake performance of the dam. Although the linear time-history analysis demonstrates that the earthquake causes a momentous damage to the concrete slab of the Torul CFR Dam, the nonlinear time-history analysis shows that no evident damage occurs in either reservoir case.
Abstract In this paper the development of interactive and comparative dynamic characteristic identification software titled as the ModalCAD is described. The software is developed for vibration monitoring of civil engineering structures and constructed by using MATLAB, which is a mathematical tool developed by The Mathworks. The modal analysis of structures consists of four distinct steps: Data collection, digital signal processing, determination of the modal parameters (eigenfrequencies, damping ratios, mode shapes, and modal scaling factors) with modal data presentation/validation and model updating. The ModalCAD software is a powerful tool that deals with modal parameter identification and validation procedure. The ModalCAD offers extensive functionalities for the visualization and processing of the measurement data, the identification of system models, and the determination and visualization of the structure’s modal parameters. The program disposes of a graphical user interface, which what makes it very intuitive and easy to handle. The most common modal parameter estimation techniques have been used in the ModalCAD. The Operating Vectors method, Complex Exponential method, and Polyreference Time Domain method are implemented in a user-friendly way. By pushing buttons the user is guided through the whole process of input-output and output-only modal analysis: Preprocessing the data, system identification, extracting modal parameters, animating mode shapes, and evaluating model validation tools. The possibilities of the program are demonstrated with a three dimensional frame model. It can be said that the ModalCAD software can be used as a scientific tool in future structural health monitoring studies of researchers.