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This paper presents a numerical study on the deterministic and probabilistic serviceability assessment of footbridge vibrations due to a single walker crossing. The dynamic response of the footbridge is analyzed by means of modal analysis, considering only the first lateral and vertical modes. Single span footbridges with uniform mass distribution are considered, with different values of the span length, natural frequencies, mass, and structural damping and with different support conditions. The load induced by a single walker crossing the footbridge is modeled as a moving sinusoidal force either in the lateral or in the vertical direction. The variability of the characteristics of the load induced by walkers is modeled using probability distributions taken from the literature defining a Standard Population of walkers. Deterministic and probabilistic approaches were adopted to assess the peak response. Based on the results of the simulations, deterministic and probabilistic vibration serviceability assessment methods are proposed, not requiring numerical analyses. Finally, an example of the application of the proposed method to a truss steel footbridge is presented. The results highlight the advantages of the probabilistic procedure in terms of reliability quantification.

The paper deals with the proposal and application of a procedure for the seismic retrofit of an existing multispan prestressed concrete girder bridge defined explicitly for the use of friction pendulum devices as an isolation system placed between piers top and deck. First, the outcomes of the seismic risk assessment of the existing bridge, performed using an incremental noniterative Nonlinear Static Procedure, based on the Capacity Spectrum Method as well as the Inelastic Demand Response Spectra, are described and discussed. Then, a specific multilevel design process, based on a proper application of the hierarchy of strength considerations and the Direct Displacement-Based Design approach, is adopted to dimension the FPD devices. Furthermore, to assess the impact of the FPD nonlinear behaviour on the bridge seismic response, a device model that reproduces the variation of the normal force and friction coefficient, the bidirectional coupling, and the large deformation effects during nonlinear dynamic analyses was used. Finally, the paper examines the effects of the FPD modelling parameters on the behaviour of the retrofitted bridge and assesses its seismic response with the results pointing out the efficiency of the adopted seismic retrofit solution.

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Background and Objective:The rapid growth of the wind energy industry has brought the construction of large-scale wind turbines with the aim of increasing their performance and profits to areas characterized by high seismic hazard. Previous research demonstrated the seismic vulnerability of large-scale wind turbines when seismic and wind actions are considered simultaneously in the demand model. In this study, the response of the supporting structure of a land-based horizontal axis wind turbine under the combined effects induced by wind and earthquake is presented.Method:Using a decoupled approach, numerical simulations of the wind and seismic loads effects are performed separately using a specific model for the aerodynamic damping and then joined. Both simulations are done using free open-source software that are FAST simulating the aerodynamic response of the rotor and OpenSees simulating the dynamic behaviour of the tower. The fitted generalized extreme value distributions of the multi-hazard peak response in terms of base moment and shear, total drift, and top rotation are calculated for different seismic and wind load intensities by means of Monte Carlo simulations. The analyses are referred to the specific case study of a land-based wind generator.Results and Conclusion:The maximum demand is associated with the operational rated scenario and for high values of the peak ground acceleration, only the parked condition leads to larger values of the response if compared to others. The analyses showed that it is essential to consider the combined seismic and wind actions in the demand model to derive a complete multi-risk analysis of the land-based structures.

The study investigates the progressive collapse resisting capacity of earthquake-resistant steel moment-resisting frames subjected to column failure. The aim is to investigate whether these structures are able to resist progressive collapse after column removal, that may represent a situation where an extreme event may cause a critical column to suddenly lose its load bearing capacity. Since the response to this abnormal loading condition is most likely to be dynamic and nonlinear, both nonlinear static and nonlinear dynamic analyses are carried out. The vertical pushover analysis (also called pushdown) is applied with two different procedures. The first one is the traditional procedure generally accepted in current guidelines that increases the load incrementally to a specified level after column has been removed. The second procedure tries to reproduce the timing of progressive collapse and, for this reason, gravity loads are applied to the undamaged structure before column removal. The load-displacement relationships obtained from pushdown analyses are compared with the results of incremental nonlinear dynamic analyses. The effect of various design variables, such as number of stories, number of bays, level of seismic design load, is investigated. The results are eventually used to evaluate the dynamic amplification factor to be applied in pushdown analysis for a more accurate estimation of the collapse resistance.

In the present paper, the dynamic response of a spar buoy wind turbine under different wind and wave conditions is discussed. Physical model tests were performed at the Danish Hydraulic Institute (DHI) off-shore wave basin within the EU-Hydralab IV Integrated Infrastructure Initiative. The OC3-Hywind spar buoy was taken as reference prototype. A spar buoy model, 1:40 Froude-scaled, was tested using long crested regular and irregular waves, orthogonal (0 degrees) and oblique (20 degrees) to the structure. Here the results concerning regular waves, with incidence orthogonal to the structure, are presented; the selected tests considered rotating and non-rotating blades. Measurements of displacements, rotations, accelerations, forces response of the floating structure and at the mooring lines were carried out. Based on the observed data, FAST wind turbine simulation tool, developed and maintained by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s), National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), was calibrated and verified. The numerical model takes into account the wave induced response and the effects of the mooring lines on the overall system. The adopted spar buoy has three equally spaced mooring lines that were modelled as quasi-static taut or catenary lines through MAP++ (static module) and MoorDyn (dynamic module) in the FAST simulation tool. The tensions along the fairleads of the three mooring lines were examined. At the end of the calibration procedure, the numerical model was successfully used to simulate the dynamic motions of the floating wind turbine under combinations of wind and sea states for the selected wave attacks. All data from the DHI tests were converted to full scale using Froude scaling before being analyzed.

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