PEER Reports

PEER Reports

The Third U.S.-Japan Workshop on Performance-Based Earthquake Engineering Methodology for Reinforced Concrete Building Structures, PEER Report 2002-02

Toshimi Kabeyasawa
Jack P. Moehle
2002

Considerable research is under way throughout the world to establish performance-based assessment and design methodology for buildings. Japan and the United States are at the forefront of this research effort, as well as the efforts to implement the research results. The U.S.-Japan Cooperative Research in Urban Earthquake Disaster Mitigation, sponsored in Japan by the Ministry of Education, Science, Sports and Culture, and in the U.S. by the National Science Foundation, is funding collaborative research in Japan and the U.S. The Pacific Earthquake Engineering Research Center in the U.S....

Investigation of Sensitivity of Building Loss Estimates to Major Uncertain Variables for the Van Nuys Testbed, PEER Report 2002-03

Keith A. Porter
James L. Beck
Rustem V. Shaikhutdinov
2002

A major component of a building-specific seismic loss analysis is the estimation of repair costs in future earthquakes. A number of uncertain variables contribute to the uncertainty in these cost estimates. Among these are ground-shaking intensity, details of the ground motion, mass, damping, and
force-deformation behavior, component fragility, repair methods, contractor’s direct costs, and contractor’s overhead and profit, among others. This report addresses which of these significantly contribute to the overall uncertainty in future economic performance. We examine gross sensitivity...

Guidelines, Specifications, and Seismic Performance Characterization of Nonstructural Building Components and Equipment, PEER Report 2002-05

André Filiatraul
Constantin Christopoulos
Christopher Stearns
2002

The main objectives of the research project reported herein are to identify gaps in knowledge regarding the seismic behavior of nonstructural building components and to help develop a research strategy within the Pacific Earthquake Engineering Research (PEER) on nonstructural building components.

For this purpose, existing guidelines and regulations for the design and testing (qualification) of nonstructural components were compared, and published analytical and experimental research on nonstructural components was reviewed.

Chapter 1 presents an introduction to this project...

The Use of Benefit-Cost Analysis for Evaluation of Performance-Based Earthquake Engineering Decisions, PEER Report 2002-06

Richard O. Zerbe
Anthony Falit-Baiamonte
2002

This report provides an overview of benefit-cost analysis (BCA); an application of benefit-cost analysis to the performance-based earthquake engineering (PBEE) framework; consideration of critical issues in using benefit-cost analysis for PBEE; and a discussion of issues, criticism, and limitations of benefit-cost analysis. Our objective is to provide an understanding of the economic dimensions of PEER’s framework equation. A focus on economic evaluation will broaden the framework so that facility damage in earthquakes can be related to functionality, business interruption and revenue loss...

Seismic Performance of Pier-Wharf Connections, PEER Report 2002-07

Charles W. Roeder
Robert Graff
Jennifer L. Soderstrom
Jung Han Yoo
2002

Ports represent a large economic investment for society. When shipping is interrupted due to earthquake damage, the resulting unemployment and other social costs are significant. Wharfs are essential to shipping, and these structures are susceptible to earthquake damage. Because wharfs are supported on piles, the pile-wharf connection is an important part of the seismic resistance and structural integrity of the system. However, the seismic performance of pile-wharf connections is not well understood.

The seismic performance of pile-wharf connections is examined. The types of piles...

Component Testing, Stability Analysis and Characterization of Buckling-Restrained Unbonded Braces™, PEER Report 2002-08

Cameron Black
Nicos Makris
Ian Aiken
2002

This report presents the results of a comprehensive component testing program on a type of buckling-restrained brace known as the Unbonded BraceTM. This commercially available seismic brace enhances the earthquake resistance of building structures by providing supplemental strength and energy dissipation.

The report introduces the braces by presenting an in-depth analysis on their stability against: (a) global flexural buckling, (b) buckling of the inner core in higher modes, and (c) plastic torsional buckling of the inner core. After establishing the formulae that...

Documentation and Analysis of Field Case Histories of Seismic Compression during the 1994 Northridge, CA Earthquake, PEER Report 2002-09

Jonathan P. Stewart
Patrick M. Smith
Daniel H. Whang
Jonathan D. Bray
2002

Seismic compression is defined as the accrual of contractive volumetric strains in unsaturated soil during strong shaking from earthquakes. While ground deformations from seismic compression have been reported in the literature , it contains few case histories in which the amount of ground deformation was known accurately from pre– and post–earthquake surveys. In this report, two such case histories are documented in detail and analyzed. Both case studies involve deep canyon fills in Santa Clarita, California, an area strongly shaken by the Northridge earthquake (peak accelerations on rock...

Centrifuge Modeling of Settlement and Lateral Spreading with Comparisons to Numerical Analysis, PEER Report 2002-10

Sivapalan Gajan
Bruce L. Kutter
2002

This report presents the results of six large-scale centrifuge model tests that were performed to study the effects of relative density and thickness of the sand layer on the amount of settlement and lateral spreading of liquefied soils. The models included a “river” channel with clay flood banks underlain by layers of
loose and dense sand of variable thickness, and a bridge abutment surcharge on one of the banks. Each model was subjected to three or four significant ground motion events, and the measurements of acceleration, pore water pressure, settlement, and lateral movements are...

Analytical and Experimental Study of Fiber-Reinforced Strip Isolators, PEER Report 2002-11

James M. Kelly
Shakhzod M. Takhirov
2002

This report describes an experimental and theoretical study of the feasibility of using fiber reinforcement to produce lightweight, low-cost elastomeric isolators for application to housing, schools, and other public buildings in highly seismic areas of the developing world. The theoretical analysis covers the mechanical characteristics of multi-layer elastomeric isolation bearings in which the reinforcing elements, normally steel plates, are replaced by a fiber reinforcement. The fiber in the fiber-reinforced isolator, in contrast to the steel in the conventional isolator (which is...

Effects of Fault Dip and Slip Rake on Near-Source Ground Motions: Why Chi-Chi Was a Relatively Mild M7.6 Earthquake, PEER Report 2002-12

Brad T. Aagaard
John F. Hall
Thomas H. Heaton
2002

This study focuses on how the fault dip and slip rake angles affect near-source ground motions as faulting transitions from strike-slip motion on a vertical fault to thrust motion on a shallow dipping fault. Ground motions are computed for five fault geometries with different combinations of fault dip and rake angles, and common values for the fault area and the average slip. With the fault reaching the surface in each scenario, the ground motions are dominated by Love and/or Rayleigh waves. The strike-slip faulting tends to generate Love waves, whereas the thrust faulting tends to...