PEER Reports

PEER Reports

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...

Probabilistic Models and Fragility Estimates for Bridge Components and Systems, PEER Report 2002-13

Paolo Gardoni
Armen Der Kiureghian
Khalid M. Mosalam
2002

A comprehensive Bayesian methodology for developing probabilistic capacity and demand models for structural components and systems is formulated. The methodology is employed to develop probabilistic models for reinforced concrete (RC) columns and multi-bent bridges. The probabilistic models are used to objectively assess the seismic fragilities of RC structural components and systems, in particular, of highway bridge systems.

The approach seeks to properly account for both aleatory and epistemic uncertainties. The probabilistic models developed are similar to deterministic capacity...

Inelastic Seismic Response of Extended Pile Shaft Supported Bridge Structures, PEER Report 2002-14

T. C. Hutchinson
R. W. Boulanger
Y. H. Chai
I. M. Idriss
2002

Bridge and viaduct structures are often supported on cast-in-drilled-hole (CIDH) extended reinforced concrete piles. In bridge structures supported on these foundation elements, the inelastic response of the superstructure during an earthquake is strongly related to the supporting soil conditions through their influence on substructure stiffness and ground motion characteristics. Although the implications of soil-structure interaction on the overall response of the structure are well recognized, a quantitative assessment of such effects on the inelastic performance of the structure, which...

Seismic Behavior of Bridge Columns Subjected to Various Loading Patterns, PEER Report 2002-15

Asadollah Esmaeily-Gh.
Yan Xiao
2002

As a part of an experimental program investigating the effects of a variable axial load on the seismic behavior of bridge piers, six scaled re inforced concrete bridge columns with circular sections were tested at the Structural Laboratory of the University of Southern California (USC). The primary experimental parameters were the axial load and loading pattern. The loading program included a combination of a constant, proportionally or nonproportionally variable axial load and a monotonic or cyclic lateral displacement. The objectives were to study the effects of different loads and the...

Estimation of Uncertainty in Geotechnical Properties for Performance-Based Earthquake Engineering, PEER Report 2002-16

Allen L. Jones
Steven L. Kramer
Pedro Arduino
2002

This report describes sources and types of uncertainty in geotechnical engineering practice, and introduces the basic concepts and terminology of the theory of probability. Statistical parameters and the probability distributions most commonly used to describe geotechnical parameters are reviewed. The report then presents tabulated statistical parameters for soil properties that have been reported in the literature; both laboratory and field-measured parameters
describing moisture-density, plasticity, strength, and compressibility characteristics are presented. The theory of...

Structural Characterization and Seismic Response Analysis of a Highway Overcrossing Equipped with Elastomeric Bearings and Fluid Dampers: A Case Study, PEER Report 2002-17

Nicos Makris
Jian Zhang
2002

This report presents a case study on the seismic response of a newly constructed freeway over-crossing that is equipped with elastomeric bearings and fluid dampers. The 91/5 overcrossing, shown in Figure A, is located in Orange County, California, and is the first reinforced concrete bridge in the United States equipped with fluid dampers.

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Assessment of Reinforced Concrete Building Exterior Joints with Substandard Details, PEER Report 2002-18

Chris P. Pantelides
Jon Hansen
Justin Nadauld
Lawrence D. Reaveley
2002

Reinforced concrete (RC) buildings designed before the mid-1970s may have serious structural deficiencies and are considered substandard according to current seismic design criteria. Specifically, the failure of the beam-column joints has been the cause of building collapse in many recent earthquakes worldwide. This report evaluates the seismic performance of beam-column joints with three different details of beam and beam-column joint reinforcement. A total of six
full-scale RC exterior joints were tested and their performance was examined in terms of lateral load capacity, drift,...

Economic-Engineering Integrated Models for Earthquakes: Socioeconomic Impacts, PEER Report 2002-19

Peter Gordon
James E. Moore II
Harry W. Richardson
2002

The core purpose of applied research in the earthquake mitigation field is to assist policymakers. What types of information are required for the creation of
cost-effective policies? Much of the previous social-science-based research on earthquakes has focused on measuring the total economic impact of damage to structures and contents and, more recently, of business interruption.

How are people of all income strata impacted by a major earthquake? Displacement from housing is an obvious aspect, but less obvious is the distribution of job losses associated with earthquake damage...