Browsing by Author "Llera, Juan Carlos de la"

Now showing 1 - 6 of 6
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    A Consistently Processed Strong-Motion Database for Chilean Earthquakes
    (2022) Castro, Sebastián; Benavente, Roberto; Crempien, Jorge G.F.; Candia, Gabriel; Llera, Juan Carlos de la
    Since the 1985 M 8.0 central Chile earthquake, national strong‐motion seismic networks have recorded ten megathrust earthquakes with magnitudes greater than M 7.5 at the convergent margin, defined by the contact between the Nazca and South American plates. The analysis of these earthquake records have led to improved hazard analyses and design codes for conventional and seismically protected structures. Although strong‐motion baseline correction is required for a meaningful interpretation of these records, correction methods have not been applied consistently in time. The inconsistencies between correction methods have been neglected in the practical use of these records in practice. Consequently, this work aims to provide a new strong‐motion database for researchers and engineers, which has been processed by traceable and consistent data processing techniques. The record database comes from three uncorrected strong motion Chilean databases. All the records are corrected using a four‐step novel methodology, which detects the P‐wave arrival and introduces a baseline correction based on the reversible‐jump Markov chain Monte Carlo method. The resulting strong motion database has more than 2000 events from 1985 to the date, and it is available to download at the Simulation Based Earthquake Risk and Resilience of Interdependent Systems and Networks (SIBER‐RISK) project website.
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    A framework to account for structural damage, functional efficiency and reparation costs within the optimal design of countermeasures: Application to snow avalanche risk mitigation
    (2022) Favier, Philomène; Eckert, Nicolás; Faug, Thierry; Bertrand, David; Ousset, Isabelle; Candia, Gabriel; Llera, Juan Carlos de la
    In mountain areas, long-term snow avalanche risk evaluation is of paramount importance for land use planning. In avalanche-prone areas, when real estate demand is high, for instance, building protective structures may be a sensible choice for reaching a compromise between safety and development. Specifically, minimizing the risk within a quantitative framework can provide optimal defense structure configurations (size, localization, construction technology, etc.). However, existing approaches based on a proper theoretical decision-making framework still suffer from limitations making them hardly usable in practice. It is herein proposed to account for the physical, functional, and monetary dimensions of a protective measure within the assessment of total risk. Total risk, which is calculated as the mean expected loss, is quantified within a four-state system in which the failure of the dam and the failure of the dwellings to be protected are assessed with specific vulnerability relations. Bounds for the risk and subsequent optimal dam design values are quantified using minimum and maximum (min/max) functional efficiency relations of the dam. Additional assumptions regarding the functional-structural efficiency relation allow for the optimal design and corresponding minimum risk to be reached. An application is proposed with a case study from the French Alps. A comprehensive parametric study shows that the min/max bounds risk quantification is worth implementing in some cases, such as, for instance: if there is a high uncertainty of the functional efficiency of the dam, of if the assets to be protected have a monetary value. However, when the failure of the dam is unlikely to occur (due to its location or to its material resistance), it is shown that quantification of the intermediate risk without the min/max bounds approach is sufficient. In the future, the framework could be extended to many other mountain hazards (debris flows, landslides, etc.), more complex elements at risk, and even to problems going beyond the sole question of land-use planning such as traffic road regulation.
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    A Simplified and Versatile Element Model for 2 Elastomeric Seismic Isolation Bearings
    (2021) Miranda, Sebastián; Miranda, Eduardo; Llera, Juan Carlos de la
    A novel approach for two-dimensional modeling of elastomeric bearings using three springs in parallel is presented. This simplified element model considers as follows: (1) an elastoplastic spring with a smooth transition between branches; (2) a linear elastic spring; and (3) a non-linear elastic spring, and is fully defined by only six parameters. The main advantages of the simplified model are twofold: (1) versatility, as a single model is capable of accurately reproducing the main characteristics of the hysteretic behavior of different types of rubber-based seismic isolators, including low damping rubber bearings (LDRBs), high damping rubber bearings (HDRBs), and lead-core rubber bearings (LRBs) and (2) simplicity, as it requires fewer parameters and it is easier to calibrate from experimental cyclic test results than most currently available models. Model parameters’ identification is illustrated using quasi-static cyclic and earthquake simulator tests of HDRBs and LRBs, demonstrating that the model shows a good agreement between the test-measured and model-predicted hysteretic behavior. Different objective functions are evaluated in the optimization procedure, and their effect on the identified parameters is studied and discussed. This practitioner-oriented model is particularly amenable for implementation in general-purpose structural analysis software. Its usage is strongly recommended as an initial-stage design tool to select the optimal isolation system for a specific project.
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    Correlations of spectral accelerations in the Chilean subduction zone
    (2020) Candia, Gabriel; Poulos, Alan; Llera, Juan Carlos de la; Crempien, Jorge G.F.; Macedo, Jorge
    The correlation between spectral accelerations is key in the construction of conditional mean spectra, the computation of vector-valued seismic hazard, and the assessment of seismic risk of spatially distributed systems, among other applications. Spectral correlations are highly dependent on the earthquake database used, and thus, region-specific correlation models have been developed mainly for earthquakes in western United States, Europe, Middle East, and Japan. Correlation models based on global data sets for crustal and subduction zones have also become available, but there is no consensus about their applicability on a specific region. This study proposes a new correlation model for 5% damped spectral accelerations and peak ground velocity in the Chilean subduction zone. The correlations obtained were generally higher than those observed from shallow crustal earthquakes and subduction zones such as Japan and Taiwan. The study provides two illustrative applications of the correlation model: (1) computation of conditional spectra for a firm soil site located in Santiago, Chile and (2) computation of bivariate hazard for spectral accelerations at two structural periods.
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    The effect of spectral shape on damping modification factors
    (2020) Miranda, Sebastián; Miranda, Eduardo; Llera, Juan Carlos de la
    The main objective of this study is to investigate the effect of spectral shape on damping modification factors η used in equivalent static and response spectrum analyses of structures with damping ratios that are different from 5% critical damping. Record-to-record variability of η is also evaluated through a statistical analysis of 5270 ground motions records from 1137 interface earthquakes recorded in Chile. The effect of spectral shape is studied using recently developed spectral shape metrics SaRatio and epsilon (ε) and evaluating their use as possible predictors for η. Similarly to previous investigations, this article also examines the effect of oscillator period, earthquake magnitude, and earthquake duration for different levels of damping ratio. Results suggest that SaRatio is an effective predictor of η, particularly for highly damped structures. However, results also indicate that for rock and firm sites, earthquake faulting mechanism and site class do not have a significant influence on η. A simple period-independent regression model for η as a function of SaRatio and damping ratio is proposed. A comparison between median η from this study and those in current Chilean seismic codes shows that code factors are unconservative.
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    Uncertainty on measurement of elastomemeric isolators effective properties
    (2021) Miranda, Sebastián; Llera, Juan Carlos de la; Miranda, Eduardo
    Elastomeric isolators are subjected to a series of non-destructive tests with several repeated deformation cycles. For each cycle, effective properties are calculated and afterward averaged. Despite their variability, and therefore their inherent uncertainties, these properties are treated as deterministic values by seismic design procedures. In this research, these uncertainties are quantified, based on the Guide to the expression of Uncertainty in Measurement, GUM, and Monte-Carlo simulations, considering variability between repetitions and instrumentation errors. Uncertainties were calculated for a dataset of 2,498 isolators' test results, finding that the maximum relative expanded uncertainty was 12%. The GUM and Monte-Carlo methods lead to similar results, and higher-order effects in the GUM assessment were negligible. A comprehensive analysis to evaluate the influence of the directly-measured quantities in the properties uncertainties was performed. Results showed that forces and displacements measurement errors are equally relevant in stiffness uncertainties, but force measurement errors primarily control damping uncertainties.

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