Many publications, documents, codes and guidelines exist related to the seismic evaluation and rehabilitation design of existing buildings. This report discusses the assumptions and methods employed for investigation of two wood structures using four references: FEMA 154, FEMA 356, ASCEI per SEI 31, and 1997 UBC. The screening performed using...
During the past several decades, earthquakes have caused extensive damage to
buildings, including wood-frame, single-family dwellings, in the United States. In
order to mitigate future losses, existing buildings in earthquake prone areas should be
evaluated for their seismic safety. This is also an important issue for buildings in
Oregon due...
Base isolation is an alternative seismic design strategy in which the primary structures
and their internal components are uncoupled from the potentially damaging horizontal
components of an earthquake by base isolators which attenuate the transmission of
horizontal acceleration into the system. Rotating machines are among the key internal
components of...
The objectives of this research were to evaluate the
behavior of actual metal-plate-connected (MPC) tension-splice
and heel wood truss joints under seismic loads from the
Northridge earthquake (tension-splice joints only) and under
loads from a large artificial earthquake (1.0 g's and 0.67
g's maximum horizontal and vertical accelerations,
respectively). A...
The development of cross-laminated timber (CLT) panel technology has opened up new opportunities for wood in tall buildings. Several characteristics including seismic performance and speed of construction have raised interest among designers. As CLT gains acceptance in the industry, alternative structural solutions need to be investigated to improve performance of...
Rotating machine play an important role in modern technology. Compressors in
ventilating and cooling systems, pumps in power generation facilities, as well as high
speed computer are all examples of flexible rotating machinery that must remain functional
during and after a sever earthquake. Recent earthquakes have demonstrated that an
aseismically...
An experimental study of a passive energy dissipation tension-compression yielding brace or buckling restrained brace has been conducted. The Confined Yielding Damper (CYD) consists of a steel yielding core confined within a tube filled with non-cohesive media. The external tube and confined non-cohesive media provide lateral stability to the core...
The Steel Plate Shear Wall (SPSW) system, is an innovative seismic lateral force resistant system, which has experienced increased use over the last three decades. The SPSW system is composed of boundary elements which anchor web plates that develop diagonal tension fields. A number of SPSW buildings have been built...
Recent experience demonstrates that waterfront structures are vulnerable to
earthquake damage. The poor seismic performance of these facilities has been
primarily due to liquefaction of backfill and/or foundation soils and the lack of
seismic design standards for waterfront structures. The seismic performance of
waterfront structures is a key issue in...
Engineering analysis of heavy timber structures under dynamic loads
is generally lacking. Some literature suggests that heavy timber structures
are stiffer than expected, but popular engineering opinion is to the contrary.
In addition, prior research has shown that passive friction dampers can be
used in timber structures for the intended...