Objective
Civil engineering structures show a distinct non-linear behaviour under strong earthquakes. The high-energy input of the earthquake causes damage distributed over the entire structure. Damage accumulation ultimately leads to structural failure. In recent times, energy dissipating mechanisms, such as base isolators, friction frames and flexible storeys, have been incorporated in structures of earthquake-resistant design. The concentrated non-linear behaviour of such devices is intended to dissipate a substantial amount of energy. The dissipated energy is assumed to be sufficiently large for the rest of the structure to behave elastically. Hence the structure remains for the most part undamaged.
The research is focused on base-isolated structures. Base isolation has proved to be an optimal solution for earthquake-resistant construction of multi-storey buildings. State-of-the-art methods for the design of base-isolated structures make severe simplifying assumptions, e.g. linear behaviour of the base isolation material and harmonic excitation of the building. The behaviour of existing base-isolated structures has clearly shown that accurate design and implementation of base isolation is critical for its effectiveness. Inadequate design can ultimately lead to amplified structural response. Hence there exists an acute need for new methodologies and computer programs allowing, among other things, the inclusion of the non-linear characteristics of the base isolation material (rubber) and of the stochastic nature of the excitation.
This research will develop a new method for the stochastic response of structures with concentrated non-linearities under random excitation. The expertise in structural dynamics of the different partners in the research project will be put to profitable use. The newly developed method is benchmarked on civil engineering problems (mass-non-linear spring assemblies). Its performance is compared to that of existing analysis approaches (e.g. stochastic linearization). The new analysis method will be implemented in an existing, general purpose structural analysis code. The resulting software will be generally applicable to assess accurately the stochastic dynamic performance of a base-isolated multi-storey building. Existing base-isolated structures, subjected to excitations similar to those produced by previous earthquakes, will be analyzed using the newly developed software. The results of the analysis will be compared to the response records of instrumented, base-isolated buildings. Finally, the computer code obtained will be further enhanced before its actual release.
Topic(s)
Call for proposal
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3001 Heverlee - Leuven
Belgium