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Luis G. Pujades
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain

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Journal article
Published: 24 February 2021 in Engineering Structures
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In Costa Rica, typical dwelling constructions are generally built with reinforced concrete masonry walls. This construction practice became one of the most common during the second half of the last century in Costa Rica. These kinds of structures exhibit high lateral stiffness and shear capacity, which makes them susceptible to semi-ductile failure or torsion if they are not correctly designed and constructed or the walls are not well distributed. However, recent research has shown that this type of masonry exhibits adequate capacity to dissipate plastic energy if the latter requirements are controlled. In this study, the seismic behavior of a recently designed and built reinforced concrete masonry structure is studied from a probabilistic perspective. Experimental results have been used to calibrate the probabilistic model. This structure was designed using the response spectrum method according to the Costa Rican Seismic Code. To verify its expected behavior considering more advanced analysis, it is analyzed through probabilistic incremental nonlinear static and dynamic computational-based methods. The aim is to obtain probabilistic damage curves in a series of permutations between the mechanical properties and the nonlinear behavior of the walls. Three different Damage Indices are estimated. Specifically, the Park & Ang damage index is used as a reference for two approximations that employ the capacity curve as input. Results indicate that the behavior of the analyzed structure is suitable for the seismic demand provided by the Costa Rican Seismic Code. Finally, correlations between input and output variables are calculated to analyze what are the variables governing the structural response. A strong relationship between masonry compression strength, Young’s module, and the post yielding slope (input variables) and all the output variables has been observed.

ACS Style

Diego A. Hidalgo-Leiva; Luis G. Pujades; Alex H. Barbat; Yeudy F. Vargas; Sergio A. Díaz. Nonlinear static and dynamic analyses of Costa Rican reinforced concrete masonry structures. Engineering Structures 2021, 234, 111998 .

AMA Style

Diego A. Hidalgo-Leiva, Luis G. Pujades, Alex H. Barbat, Yeudy F. Vargas, Sergio A. Díaz. Nonlinear static and dynamic analyses of Costa Rican reinforced concrete masonry structures. Engineering Structures. 2021; 234 ():111998.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Diego A. Hidalgo-Leiva; Luis G. Pujades; Alex H. Barbat; Yeudy F. Vargas; Sergio A. Díaz. 2021. "Nonlinear static and dynamic analyses of Costa Rican reinforced concrete masonry structures." Engineering Structures 234, no. : 111998.

Journal article
Published: 09 February 2021 in Geosciences
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In this work, the directionality effects during the MW 7.8 earthquake, which occurred in Muisne (Ecuador) on 16 April 2016, were analyzed under two perspectives. The first one deals with the influence of these effects on seismic intensity measures (IMs), while the second refers to the assessment of the expected damage of a specific building located in Manta city, Ecuador, as a function of its azimuthal orientation. The records of strong motion in 21 accelerometric stations were used to analyze directionality in seismic actions. At the closest station to the epicenter (RRup = 20 km), the peak ground acceleration was 1380 cm/s2 (EW component of the APED station). A detailed study of the response spectra ratifies the importance of directionality and confirms the need to consider these effects in seismic hazard studies. Differences between IMs values that consider the directionality and those obtained from the as-recorded accelerograms are significant and they agree with studies carried out in other regions. Concerning the variation of the expected damage with respect to the building orientation, a reinforced concrete building, which was seriously affected by the earthquake, was taken as a case study. For this analysis, the accelerograms recorded at a nearby station and detailed structural documentation were used. The ETABS software was used for the structural analysis. Modal and pushover analyses were performed, obtaining capacity curves and capacity spectra in the two main axes of the building. Two advanced methods for damage assessment were used to obtain fragility and mean damage state curves. The performance points were obtained through the linear equivalent approximation. This allows estimation and analysis of the expected mean damage state and the probability of complete damage as functions of the building orientation. Results show that the actual probability of complete damage is close to 60%. This fact is mainly due to the greater severity of the seismic action in one of the two main axes of the building. The results are in accordance with the damage produced by the earthquake in the building and confirm the need to consider the directionality effects in damage and seismic risk assessments.

ACS Style

Luis Pinzón; Luis Pujades; Irving Medranda; Rodrigo Alva. Case Study of a Heavily Damaged Building during the 2016 MW 7.8 Ecuador Earthquake: Directionality Effects in Seismic Actions and Damage Assessment. Geosciences 2021, 11, 74 .

AMA Style

Luis Pinzón, Luis Pujades, Irving Medranda, Rodrigo Alva. Case Study of a Heavily Damaged Building during the 2016 MW 7.8 Ecuador Earthquake: Directionality Effects in Seismic Actions and Damage Assessment. Geosciences. 2021; 11 (2):74.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Luis Pinzón; Luis Pujades; Irving Medranda; Rodrigo Alva. 2021. "Case Study of a Heavily Damaged Building during the 2016 MW 7.8 Ecuador Earthquake: Directionality Effects in Seismic Actions and Damage Assessment." Geosciences 11, no. 2: 74.

Journal article
Published: 23 March 2020 in Remote Sensing
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In this paper, remote and in situ techniques to estimate the dynamic response of a building to ambient vibration are reported: data acquired through a real-aperture radar (RAR) interferometer and conventional accelerometers are analyzed. A five-story reinforced concrete housing building, which was damaged during the May 11th 2011 Lorca (Spain) earthquake, is used as a case study. The building was monitored using both types of instruments. The dynamic properties of the building are estimated first taking acceleration measurements using a set of 10 high-precision accelerometers installed on the roof of the building. Further, the displacement–time histories, recorded with the RAR device pointing to a corner of the building, are analyzed. Then, the ability and shortcomings of RAR measurements to deal with the fundamental frequencies of vibration of the structure are investigated. The advantages and limitations of from-inside (accelerometric) and from-outside (RAR) measurements are highlighted and discussed. A relevant conclusion is that, after strong earthquakes, RAR may be an interesting and useful tool, as it allows surveying the structural response of mid-rise buildings remotely, without the need to enter the structures, which may be dangerous for inspectors or technicians in cases of severely damaged buildings. Given that the instrumented building suffered significant damage, the ability of these kinds of measurements to detect damage is also discussed.

ACS Style

Rodrigo E. Alva; Luis G. Pujades; Ramón González-Drigo; Guido Luzi; Oriol Caselles; Luis A. Pinzón. Dynamic Monitoring of a Mid-Rise Building by Real-Aperture Radar Interferometer: Advantages and Limitations. Remote Sensing 2020, 12, 1025 .

AMA Style

Rodrigo E. Alva, Luis G. Pujades, Ramón González-Drigo, Guido Luzi, Oriol Caselles, Luis A. Pinzón. Dynamic Monitoring of a Mid-Rise Building by Real-Aperture Radar Interferometer: Advantages and Limitations. Remote Sensing. 2020; 12 (6):1025.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Rodrigo E. Alva; Luis G. Pujades; Ramón González-Drigo; Guido Luzi; Oriol Caselles; Luis A. Pinzón. 2020. "Dynamic Monitoring of a Mid-Rise Building by Real-Aperture Radar Interferometer: Advantages and Limitations." Remote Sensing 12, no. 6: 1025.

Journal article
Published: 22 February 2020 in Soil Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering
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Estimations of seismic risk in urban areas should include quantifications of the expected damage to civil structures subjected to earthquakes. In buildings, this quantification depends on the maximum inter-story drift (MIDR), among other aspects. In this study, the correlation between several intensity measures (IMs) and the maximum inter-story drift of steel structures was investigated. Three steel frame buildings of 3, 7 and 13 stories were used as a testbed. These buildings were modelled as 2D framed structures. For the seismic hazard, forty strong ground motion pairs were selected (80 individual horizontal components) from the Italian database. These records were scaled to a specific peak ground acceleration (PGA) and matched to a design spectrum from Eurocode 8. Nonlinear dynamic analysis was used to estimate the seismic response of the structures. Thus, 720 nonlinear dynamic analyses (NLDA) were performed [3 structures × (80 as recorded accelerograms + 80 scaled records + 80 matched records)]. Preliminary results indicate that PGA and MIDR show the worst correlation. A higher correlation was observed for peak ground velocity, root-mean-square velocity and specific energy density intensity-based measures. Finally, a new IM, which is highly correlated with MIDR, is proposed. This IM is called IΔ-PGV and considers both the PGV and the significant duration.

ACS Style

Luis A. Pinzón; Yeudy F. Vargas-Alzate; Luis G. Pujades; Sergio A. Diaz. A drift-correlated ground motion intensity measure: Application to steel frame buildings. Soil Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering 2020, 132, 106096 .

AMA Style

Luis A. Pinzón, Yeudy F. Vargas-Alzate, Luis G. Pujades, Sergio A. Diaz. A drift-correlated ground motion intensity measure: Application to steel frame buildings. Soil Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering. 2020; 132 ():106096.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Luis A. Pinzón; Yeudy F. Vargas-Alzate; Luis G. Pujades; Sergio A. Diaz. 2020. "A drift-correlated ground motion intensity measure: Application to steel frame buildings." Soil Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering 132, no. : 106096.

Journal article
Published: 11 February 2020 in Sustainability
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The basic input when seismic risk is estimated in urban environments is the expected physical damage level of buildings. The vulnerability index and capacity spectrum-based methods are the tools that have been used most to estimate the probability of occurrence of this important variable. Although both methods provide adequate estimates, they involve simplifications that are no longer necessary, given the current capacity of computers. In this study, an advanced method is developed that avoids many of these simplifications. The method starts from current state-of-the-art approaches, but it incorporates non-linear dynamic analysis and a probabilistic focus. Thus, the method considers not only the nonlinear dynamic response of the structures, modeled as multi degree of freedom systems (MDoF), but also uncertainties related to the loads, the geometry of the buildings, the mechanical properties of the materials and the seismic action. Once the method has been developed, the buildings are subjected to earthquake records that are selected and scaled according to the seismic hazard of the site and considering the probabilistic nature of the seismic actions. The practical applications of the method are illustrated with a case study: framed reinforced concrete buildings that are typical of an important district, the Eixample, in Barcelona (Spain). The building typology and the district were chosen because the seismic risk in Barcelona has been thoroughly studied, so detailed information about buildings’ features, seismic hazard and expected risk is available. Hence, the current results can be compared with those obtained using simpler, less sophisticated methods. The main aspects of the method are presented and discussed first. Then, the case study is described and the results obtained with the capacity spectrum method are compared with the results using the approach presented here. The results at hand show reasonably good agreement with previous seismic damage and risk scenarios in Barcelona, but the new method provides richer, more detailed, more reliable information. This is particularly useful for seismic risk reduction, prevention and management, to move towards more resilient, sustainable cities.

ACS Style

Yeudy Vargas-Alzate; Nieves Lantada; Ramón González-Drigo; Luis Pujades. Seismic Risk Assessment Using Stochastic Nonlinear Models. Sustainability 2020, 12, 1308 .

AMA Style

Yeudy Vargas-Alzate, Nieves Lantada, Ramón González-Drigo, Luis Pujades. Seismic Risk Assessment Using Stochastic Nonlinear Models. Sustainability. 2020; 12 (4):1308.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Yeudy Vargas-Alzate; Nieves Lantada; Ramón González-Drigo; Luis Pujades. 2020. "Seismic Risk Assessment Using Stochastic Nonlinear Models." Sustainability 12, no. 4: 1308.

Articles
Published: 03 January 2020 in International Journal of Architectural Heritage
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This paper summarizes a study whose primary objectives were to develop a model for nonlinear static analysis of unreinforced masonry (URM) buildings, considering the flexibility of the floor system and analyzing the influence of stiffening the floor system on the overall seismic response of such buildings. With this aim, a six-story building typical of the Eixample-Barcelona district was used as a case study. All the macro-elements, those that constitute the walls and the floor system, were developed with one-dimensional spring elements. The influence of stiffening the floor system was analyzed by applying conventional stiffening interventions to the two-floor systems common in the Eixample-Barcelona district. The overall seismic response was evaluated in terms of modal parameters, the characteristics of the pushover curves and the deformed shape of the floors. The outcomes are discussed in relation to recent studies and explained in the context of previous studies. Finally, in the two unstiffened cases of the prototype building, the stiffening of the floor system slightly increases in fundamental periods, slightly to moderately increases in base shear capacities, and significantly decreases in displacement capacities.

ACS Style

Juan Jiménez-Pacheco; Ramón González-Drigo; Lluis G. Pujades Beneit; Alex H. Barbat; José Calderón-Brito. Traditional High-rise Unreinforced Masonry Buildings: Modeling and Influence of Floor System Stiffening on Their Overall Seismic Response. International Journal of Architectural Heritage 2020, 1 -38.

AMA Style

Juan Jiménez-Pacheco, Ramón González-Drigo, Lluis G. Pujades Beneit, Alex H. Barbat, José Calderón-Brito. Traditional High-rise Unreinforced Masonry Buildings: Modeling and Influence of Floor System Stiffening on Their Overall Seismic Response. International Journal of Architectural Heritage. 2020; ():1-38.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Juan Jiménez-Pacheco; Ramón González-Drigo; Lluis G. Pujades Beneit; Alex H. Barbat; José Calderón-Brito. 2020. "Traditional High-rise Unreinforced Masonry Buildings: Modeling and Influence of Floor System Stiffening on Their Overall Seismic Response." International Journal of Architectural Heritage , no. : 1-38.

Journal article
Published: 19 December 2019 in Soil Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering
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The paper investigates directionality effects of ground motions in the context of dynamic soil-structure interaction (DSSI) analyses. The problem addressed corresponds to a nonlinear soil deposit, overlaying firm ground, where the input motion was derived from an acceleration time history recorded at a rock outcrop. A simplified procedure is proposed to incorporate directionality effects. The main objective is to identify in advance the incidence angle producing the maximum response of a structure for a given earthquake. Results from the simplified procedure were evaluated by comparison with what is called here the complete rotational approach, where the behaviour of the structure, as a function of the incidence angle of the input motion, is derived through a large number of nonlinear dynamic soil-structure interaction analyses. The obtained results show the importance of considering directionality effects in DSSI analyses. The maximum response of the system was reasonably captured with the simplified approach.

ACS Style

Luis A. Pinzón; Miguel A. Mánica; Luis G. Pujades; Rodrigo Esteban Alva. Dynamic soil-structure interaction analyses considering directionality effects. Soil Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering 2019, 130, 106009 .

AMA Style

Luis A. Pinzón, Miguel A. Mánica, Luis G. Pujades, Rodrigo Esteban Alva. Dynamic soil-structure interaction analyses considering directionality effects. Soil Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering. 2019; 130 ():106009.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Luis A. Pinzón; Miguel A. Mánica; Luis G. Pujades; Rodrigo Esteban Alva. 2019. "Dynamic soil-structure interaction analyses considering directionality effects." Soil Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering 130, no. : 106009.

Journal article
Published: 28 November 2019 in Remote Sensing
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In this study the main results of a detailed analysis of an actual building, which was severely damaged during the Mw 5.1, May 11th 2011, Lorca earthquake (Murcia, Spain) are presented. The dynamic behavior of the building was analyzed by means of empirical and numerical approaches. The displacement response of the building submitted to ambient noise was recorded by using a Real Aperture Radar (RAR). This approach provides a secure remote sensing procedure that does not require entering the building. Based on the blueprints and other available graphical information about the building, a numeric 3D model was also set up, allowing obtaining capacity spectra and fragility curves in the two main resistant directions of the building. The main purpose of this study was to check out the feasibility of the RAR-based method to detect the safety state of a damaged building after an earthquake, without the need of entering unsafe structures. A good consistency of the numerical and experimental approaches and the observed damage was obtained, showing that RAR interferometric-based tools may provide promising supplementary remote sensing methods to safely survey and report about the structural health and the operative conditions of buildings in post-earthquake scenarios.

ACS Style

Ramon Gonzalez-Drigo; Esteban Cabrera; Guido Luzi; Luis G. Pujades; Yeudy F. Vargas-Alzate; Jorge Avila-Haro. Assessment of Post-Earthquake Damaged Building with Interferometric Real Aperture Radar. Remote Sensing 2019, 11, 2830 .

AMA Style

Ramon Gonzalez-Drigo, Esteban Cabrera, Guido Luzi, Luis G. Pujades, Yeudy F. Vargas-Alzate, Jorge Avila-Haro. Assessment of Post-Earthquake Damaged Building with Interferometric Real Aperture Radar. Remote Sensing. 2019; 11 (23):2830.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Ramon Gonzalez-Drigo; Esteban Cabrera; Guido Luzi; Luis G. Pujades; Yeudy F. Vargas-Alzate; Jorge Avila-Haro. 2019. "Assessment of Post-Earthquake Damaged Building with Interferometric Real Aperture Radar." Remote Sensing 11, no. 23: 2830.

Journal article
Published: 04 July 2019 in Geosciences
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Normally, the average of the horizontal-to-vertical (H/V) ratios of the 5% damped response spectra of ground motions is used to classify the site of strong-motion stations. In these cases, only the three-orthogonal as-recorded acceleration components are used in the analysis, and all the vector compositions that can generate a different response for each period oscillator are excluded. In this study, the Spanish strong-motion database was used to classify the sites of accelerometric stations based on the predominant periods through the average horizontal-to-vertical spectral ratios (HVSR) of recorded ground motions. Moreover, the directionality effects using the vector composition of the horizontal components of ground motions were also considered in the estimations of H/V ratios. This consideration is a relevant novelty compared to the traditional H/V ratios methods. Only earthquakes with magnitudes above 3.5 and hypocentral distances below 200 km were selected, which resulted in 692 ground-motion records, corresponding to 86 stations, from events in the period between 1993 and 2017. After the analysis, a predominant-period site classification was assigned to each station. On the whole, the obtained mean and standard deviation values of the spectral ratios are comparable to those shown by other researchers. Therefore, the advantages of the proposed procedure, which takes the directionality effects into account, can be summarized as follows: (a) The obtained information is richer and gives enables more sophisticated and realistic analyses on the basis of percentiles and (b) it is easier to detect anomalous stations, sites, and/or accelerograms. Moreover, the method eliminates the effect of directionality as a contributor to epistemic uncertainty.

ACS Style

Luis A. Pinzón; Luis G. Pujades; Albert Macau; Emilio Carreño; Juan M. Alcalde. Seismic Site Classification from the Horizontal-to-Vertical Response Spectral Ratios: Use of the Spanish Strong-Motion Database. Geosciences 2019, 9, 294 .

AMA Style

Luis A. Pinzón, Luis G. Pujades, Albert Macau, Emilio Carreño, Juan M. Alcalde. Seismic Site Classification from the Horizontal-to-Vertical Response Spectral Ratios: Use of the Spanish Strong-Motion Database. Geosciences. 2019; 9 (7):294.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Luis A. Pinzón; Luis G. Pujades; Albert Macau; Emilio Carreño; Juan M. Alcalde. 2019. "Seismic Site Classification from the Horizontal-to-Vertical Response Spectral Ratios: Use of the Spanish Strong-Motion Database." Geosciences 9, no. 7: 294.

Articles
Published: 23 April 2019 in Journal of Earthquake Engineering
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Recent research have proven the importance of considering the directionality effect on the expected seismic damage of structures. However, it demands a high computational effort if the nonlinear dynamic analysis (NLDA) is used to estimate the seismic response. This paper presents a simplified approach to obtain peak response parameters for a building subjected to bi-directional ground motions considering the directionality effect. To do so, the maximum and median response spectra, considering all the non-redundant response spectra, of several ground motion pairs are calculated. Afterwards, a spectral matching technique is applied to these spectra and new acceleration components are obtained. A series of NLDA are performed with these new components and the roof displacement and base shear values are calculated. These results are compared with the maximum and median values, calculated by performing a series of NLDA, after rotating the earthquakes records by considering increments of 1° in the interval 0°–180°. The results agree with both approaches validating the efficiency of the simplified proposed approach.

ACS Style

Luis Alejandro Pinzon; Sergio Alberto Diaz; Lluís G Pujades; Yeudy Felipe Vargas. An Efficient Method for Considering the Directionality Effect of Earthquakes on Structures. Journal of Earthquake Engineering 2019, 25, 1679 -1708.

AMA Style

Luis Alejandro Pinzon, Sergio Alberto Diaz, Lluís G Pujades, Yeudy Felipe Vargas. An Efficient Method for Considering the Directionality Effect of Earthquakes on Structures. Journal of Earthquake Engineering. 2019; 25 (9):1679-1708.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Luis Alejandro Pinzon; Sergio Alberto Diaz; Lluís G Pujades; Yeudy Felipe Vargas. 2019. "An Efficient Method for Considering the Directionality Effect of Earthquakes on Structures." Journal of Earthquake Engineering 25, no. 9: 1679-1708.

Review
Published: 21 August 2018 in International Journal of Architectural Heritage
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ACS Style

N. Lantada; L.G. Pujades; A.H. Barbat. Earthquake Risk Scenarios in Urban Areas: A Review with Applications to the Ciutat Vella District in Barcelona, Spain. International Journal of Architectural Heritage 2018, 12, 1112 -1130.

AMA Style

N. Lantada, L.G. Pujades, A.H. Barbat. Earthquake Risk Scenarios in Urban Areas: A Review with Applications to the Ciutat Vella District in Barcelona, Spain. International Journal of Architectural Heritage. 2018; 12 (7-8):1112-1130.

Chicago/Turabian Style

N. Lantada; L.G. Pujades; A.H. Barbat. 2018. "Earthquake Risk Scenarios in Urban Areas: A Review with Applications to the Ciutat Vella District in Barcelona, Spain." International Journal of Architectural Heritage 12, no. 7-8: 1112-1130.

Journal article
Published: 07 August 2018 in Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America
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We analyze the case of a building that collapsed in a multifamily complex of Tlalpan borough in Mexico City during the 19 September 2017 Central Mexico earthquake. Despite having similar materials and similar structural and geometric properties, this was the only building that collapsed in the complex. A structural analysis of the building and a study of the soils’ predominant periods indicated that resonance effects, if any, would not be significant. However, phenomena related to the anomalous performance of buildings in dense urban areas such as geological soil, soil–structure interaction, and soil–city interaction effects were also investigated. A detailed analysis of the directionality of seismic actions recorded at nearby accelerometric stations and of the azimuths of sound and damaged buildings indicates that directionality effects were responsible for the collapse of the building. Subsequently, a set of 58, two‐component acceleration records of the earthquake was used to perform a thorough directionality analysis. The results were then compared with the foreseen uniform hazard response spectra and the design spectra in the city. Seismic actions in the city due to this earthquake were stronger than those corresponding to the uniform hazard response spectra. In addition, although design spectra have been significantly improved in the new 2017 Mexican seismic regulations, they were exceeded in 11 of 58 analyzed spectra. In 4 of these 11 cases, the design spectra were exceeded due to directionality effects. These results confirm the necessity of considering directionality effects in damage assessments, strong‐motion prediction equations, and design regulations.

ACS Style

Luis A. Pinzón; Luis G. Pujades; Sergio A. Diaz; Rodrigo E. Alva. Do Directionality Effects Influence Expected Damage? A Case Study of the 2017 Central Mexico Earthquake. Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America 2018, 108, 2543 -2555.

AMA Style

Luis A. Pinzón, Luis G. Pujades, Sergio A. Diaz, Rodrigo E. Alva. Do Directionality Effects Influence Expected Damage? A Case Study of the 2017 Central Mexico Earthquake. Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America. 2018; 108 (5A):2543-2555.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Luis A. Pinzón; Luis G. Pujades; Sergio A. Diaz; Rodrigo E. Alva. 2018. "Do Directionality Effects Influence Expected Damage? A Case Study of the 2017 Central Mexico Earthquake." Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America 108, no. 5A: 2543-2555.

Original research paper
Published: 09 October 2017 in Bulletin of Earthquake Engineering
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Recently proposed capacity-based damage indices and parametric models for capacity curves are applied to frame steel buildings located in soft soils of the Mexico City. To do that, the seismic performance of 2D models of low-, mid- and high-rise buildings is assessed. Deterministic and probabilistic nonlinear static and incremental dynamic analyses are implemented. Monte Carlo simulations and the Latin Hypercube sampling technique are used. Seismic actions are selected among accelerograms recorded in the study area. Spectral matching techniques are applied, so that the acceleration time histories have a predefined mean response spectrum and controlled error. The design spectrum of the Mexican seismic code for the zone is used as target spectrum. The well-known Park and Ang damage index allows calibrating the capacity-based damage index. Both damage indices take into account the contribution to damage of the stiffness degradation and of the energy dissipation. Damage states and fragility curves are also obtained and discussed in detail. The results reveal the versatility, robustness and reliability of the parametric model for capacity curves, which allow modelling the nonlinear part of the capacity curves by the cumulative integral of a cumulative lognormal function. However, these new capacity-based damage index and capacity models have been tested for and applied to 2D frame buildings only; they have not been applied to 3D building models yet. The Park and Ang and the capacity-based damage indices show that for the analysed buildings, the contribution to damage of the stiffness degradation is in the range 66–77% and that of energy loss is in the range 29–34%. The lowest contribution of energy dissipation (29%) is found for the low-rise, more rigid, building. The energy contribution would raise with the ductility of the building and with the duration of the strong ground motion. High-rise frame buildings in soft soils of Mexico City show the worst performance so that the use of adequate braced frames to control the displacements could be recommended.

ACS Style

Sergio A. Díaz; Luis G. Pujades; Alex H. Barbat; Diego A. Hidalgo-Leiva; Yeudy F. Vargas-Alzate. Capacity, damage and fragility models for steel buildings: a probabilistic approach. Bulletin of Earthquake Engineering 2017, 16, 1209 -1243.

AMA Style

Sergio A. Díaz, Luis G. Pujades, Alex H. Barbat, Diego A. Hidalgo-Leiva, Yeudy F. Vargas-Alzate. Capacity, damage and fragility models for steel buildings: a probabilistic approach. Bulletin of Earthquake Engineering. 2017; 16 (3):1209-1243.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Sergio A. Díaz; Luis G. Pujades; Alex H. Barbat; Diego A. Hidalgo-Leiva; Yeudy F. Vargas-Alzate. 2017. "Capacity, damage and fragility models for steel buildings: a probabilistic approach." Bulletin of Earthquake Engineering 16, no. 3: 1209-1243.

Journal article
Published: 13 September 2014 in Bulletin of Earthquake Engineering
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A parametric model for capacity curves and capacity spectra is proposed. The capacity curve is considered to be composed of a linear part and a nonlinear part. The normalized nonlinear part is modelled by means of a cumulative lognormal function. Instead, the cumulative Beta function can be used. Moreover, this new conceptualization of the capacity curves allows defining stiffness and energy functions relative to the total energy loss and stiffness degradation at the ultimate capacity point. Based on these functions, a new damage index is proposed and it is shown that this index, obtained from nonlinear static analysis, is compatible with the Park and Ang index obtained from dynamic analysis. This capacity based damage index allows setting up a fragility model. Specific reinforced concrete buildings are used to illustrate the adequacy of the capacity, damage and fragility models. The usefulness of the models here proposed is highlighted showing how the parametric model is representative for a family of capacity curves having the same normalized nonlinear part and how important variables can be tabulated as empirical functions of the two main parameters defining the capacity model. The availability of this new mathematical model may be a powerful tool for current earthquake engineering research, especially in seismic risk assessments at regional scale and in probabilistic approaches where massive computations are needed.

ACS Style

Luis G. Pujades; Yeudy F. Vargas-Alzate; Alex H. Barbat; José R. González-Drigo. Parametric model for capacity curves. Bulletin of Earthquake Engineering 2014, 13, 1347 -1376.

AMA Style

Luis G. Pujades, Yeudy F. Vargas-Alzate, Alex H. Barbat, José R. González-Drigo. Parametric model for capacity curves. Bulletin of Earthquake Engineering. 2014; 13 (5):1347-1376.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Luis G. Pujades; Yeudy F. Vargas-Alzate; Alex H. Barbat; José R. González-Drigo. 2014. "Parametric model for capacity curves." Bulletin of Earthquake Engineering 13, no. 5: 1347-1376.

Journal article
Published: 06 June 2013 in Bulletin of Earthquake Engineering
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The main goals of this article are to analyze the use of simplified deterministic nonlinear static procedures for assessing the seismic response of buildings and to evaluate the influence that the uncertainties in the mechanical properties of the materials and in the features of the seismic actions have in the uncertainties of the structural response. A reinforced concrete building is used as a guiding case study. In the calculation of the expected spectral displacement, deterministic nonlinear static methods are simple and straightforward. For not severe earthquakes these approaches lead to somewhat conservative but adequate results when compared to more sophisticated procedures involving nonlinear dynamic analyses. Concerning the probabilistic assessment, the strength properties of the materials, concrete and steel, and the seismic action are considered as random variables. The Monte Carlo method is then used to analyze the structural response of the building. The obtained results show that significant uncertainties are expected; uncertainties in the structural response increase with the severity of the seismic actions. The major influence in the randomness of the structural response comes from the randomness of the seismic action. A useful example for selected earthquake scenarios is used to illustrate the applicability of the probabilistic approach for assessing expected damage and risk. An important conclusion of this work is the need of broaching the fragility of the buildings and expected damage assessment issues from a probabilistic perspective.

ACS Style

Yeudy F. Vargas; Luis G. Pujades; Alex H. Barbat; Jorge E. Hurtado. Capacity, fragility and damage in reinforced concrete buildings: a probabilistic approach. Bulletin of Earthquake Engineering 2013, 11, 2007 -2032.

AMA Style

Yeudy F. Vargas, Luis G. Pujades, Alex H. Barbat, Jorge E. Hurtado. Capacity, fragility and damage in reinforced concrete buildings: a probabilistic approach. Bulletin of Earthquake Engineering. 2013; 11 (6):2007-2032.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Yeudy F. Vargas; Luis G. Pujades; Alex H. Barbat; Jorge E. Hurtado. 2013. "Capacity, fragility and damage in reinforced concrete buildings: a probabilistic approach." Bulletin of Earthquake Engineering 11, no. 6: 2007-2032.

Journal article
Published: 17 September 2010 in Bulletin of Earthquake Engineering
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Between the late nineteenth century and the early twentieth century, Barcelona was expanded, occupying the terrains connecting the old walled city and the nearby towns of the plateau of Barcelona. At that time, a large number of unreinforced masonry buildings were constructed and nowadays many of them are still used as dwellings. Though built individually, these buildings are connected to adjacent buildings, forming blocks composed of aggregates. In order to analyze the seismic behavior of isolated buildings and aggregates, two typical central buildings and one typical corner building have been chosen. The two central buildings and the corner building are referred as C1, C2, and E buildings. Two corner buildings and two central buildings have been connected in order to simulate a block side. This aggregate is referred as AGG and it is composed by the following sequence of individual buildings: E-C1-C2-E. Original plans and drawings of existing buildings are then used to model these buildings. The modeled buildings have five stories. Standard pushover analyses lead to evaluate their seismic performance by means of capacity spectra and fragility curves. The analysis has been carried out in the parallel (Ux) and transversal (Uy) directions to the street. Then, a capacity spectrum based method is used to analyze the seismic behavior of these buildings considered as individual buildings and as an aggregate. Two earthquake scenarios are considered. The first one is a deterministic scenario which is based on a historical earthquake occurred in 1,824, 25 km away from the city and the second one is a probabilistic scenario, which represents the ground motion with a probability of occurrence of 10% in 50 years. The soil local effects have been also considered and both scenarios have been used to assess the expected damage. Four non-null damage states are considered: slight (1), moderate (2), severe (3) and extensive-to-collapse (4). For the type of soil where most of the buildings are, and in the Ux direction, the four buildings show a similar behavior. The mean damage grade is 2.3 for the deterministic scenario and 2.7 for the probabilistic one. This means that moderate to severe damage is expected in both cases; furthermore, in the case of the deterministic scenario more than 10% of the buildings would suffer extensive-to-collapse damage and nearly 20% for the probabilistic scenario, confirming the high vulnerability of such buildings. The differences in the expected damage are due to the significant different characteristics of the response spectra of the earthquake scenarios in the range of the fundamental periods of the buildings.

ACS Style

L. G. Pujades; Alex H. Barbat; Ramon Gonzalez-Drigo; J. Avila; S. Lagomarsino. Seismic performance of a block of buildings representative of the typical construction in the Eixample district in Barcelona (Spain). Bulletin of Earthquake Engineering 2010, 10, 331 -349.

AMA Style

L. G. Pujades, Alex H. Barbat, Ramon Gonzalez-Drigo, J. Avila, S. Lagomarsino. Seismic performance of a block of buildings representative of the typical construction in the Eixample district in Barcelona (Spain). Bulletin of Earthquake Engineering. 2010; 10 (1):331-349.

Chicago/Turabian Style

L. G. Pujades; Alex H. Barbat; Ramon Gonzalez-Drigo; J. Avila; S. Lagomarsino. 2010. "Seismic performance of a block of buildings representative of the typical construction in the Eixample district in Barcelona (Spain)." Bulletin of Earthquake Engineering 10, no. 1: 331-349.

Journal article
Published: 30 June 2009 in NDT & E International
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High-resolution ground-penetrating radar (GPR) evaluations of structures are usually carried out using antennas with high nominal centre frequencies (between 1 and 2 GHz). A comprehensive characterization of such an antenna would make it possible to determine the capabilities of a system and obtain accurate data interpretations. This paper describes the experimental determination of the radiation pattern of a commercial 1.6 GHz antenna, which forms part of a comprehensive experimental characterization. Radiation patterns are closely related to spatial resolution, so the horizontal and vertical resolutions are evaluated first. The footprint of the antenna is then measured in air using simple devices at different distances. The final result is the approximate spatial radiation pattern of the emitted energy, measured in air. Finally, these measurements are also taken in sand to obtain the radiation pattern and footprint of the antenna in this medium.

ACS Style

Vega Pérez-Gracia; Daniel Di Capua; Ramón González-Drigo; Lluís Pujades. Laboratory characterization of a GPR antenna for high-resolution testing: Radiation pattern and vertical resolution. NDT & E International 2009, 42, 336 -344.

AMA Style

Vega Pérez-Gracia, Daniel Di Capua, Ramón González-Drigo, Lluís Pujades. Laboratory characterization of a GPR antenna for high-resolution testing: Radiation pattern and vertical resolution. NDT & E International. 2009; 42 (4):336-344.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Vega Pérez-Gracia; Daniel Di Capua; Ramón González-Drigo; Lluís Pujades. 2009. "Laboratory characterization of a GPR antenna for high-resolution testing: Radiation pattern and vertical resolution." NDT & E International 42, no. 4: 336-344.

Journal article
Published: 30 November 2008 in Soil Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering
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Conceptual aspects related to seismic vulnerability, damage and risk evaluation are discussed first, together with a short review of the most widely used possibilities for seismic evaluation of structures. The capacity spectrum method and the way of obtaining seismic damage scenarios for urban areas starting from capacity and fragility curves are then discussed. The determination of capacity curves for buildings using non-linear structural analysis tools is then explained, together with a simplified expeditious procedure allowing the development of fragility curves. The seismic risk of the buildings of Barcelona, Spain, is analyzed in the paper, based on the application of the capacity spectrum method. The seismic hazard in the area of the city is described by means of the reduced 5% damped elastic response spectrum. The information on the buildings was obtained by collecting, arranging, improving and completing a broad database of the dwellings and current buildings. The buildings existing in Barcelona are mainly of two types: unreinforced masonry structures and reinforced concrete buildings with waffled-slab floors. The ArcView software was used to create a GIS tool for managing the collected information in order to develop seismic risk scenarios. This study shows that the vulnerability of the buildings is significant in Barcelona and, therefore, in spite of the low-to-moderate seismic hazard in the region, the expected seismic risk is considerable.

ACS Style

Alex H. Barbat; Luis G. Pujades; Nieves Lantada. Seismic damage evaluation in urban areas using the capacity spectrum method: Application to Barcelona. Soil Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering 2008, 28, 851 -865.

AMA Style

Alex H. Barbat, Luis G. Pujades, Nieves Lantada. Seismic damage evaluation in urban areas using the capacity spectrum method: Application to Barcelona. Soil Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering. 2008; 28 (10-11):851-865.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Alex H. Barbat; Luis G. Pujades; Nieves Lantada. 2008. "Seismic damage evaluation in urban areas using the capacity spectrum method: Application to Barcelona." Soil Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering 28, no. 10-11: 851-865.

Journal article
Published: 01 November 2006 in Computer-Aided Civil and Infrastructure Engineering
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ACS Style

Alex H. Barbat; Luis G. Pujades; Nieves Lantada. Performance of Buildings under Earthquakes in Barcelona, Spain. Computer-Aided Civil and Infrastructure Engineering 2006, 21, 573 -593.

AMA Style

Alex H. Barbat, Luis G. Pujades, Nieves Lantada. Performance of Buildings under Earthquakes in Barcelona, Spain. Computer-Aided Civil and Infrastructure Engineering. 2006; 21 (8):573-593.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Alex H. Barbat; Luis G. Pujades; Nieves Lantada. 2006. "Performance of Buildings under Earthquakes in Barcelona, Spain." Computer-Aided Civil and Infrastructure Engineering 21, no. 8: 573-593.