This work implements the Firefly algorithm (FA)

Earthquake-induced pounding is a phenomenon that has been observed in almost every major earthquake since the 1960s. Pounding between adjacent buildings occurs due to insufficient separation and with different dynamic properties. This usually causes local damage, and in some extreme cases, total collapse of structures. Building codes in seismically active zones recommended a minimum separation gap between adjacent buildings to avoid pounding during severe earthquakes. AS1170.4-2007 is an Australian standard that requires 1% of the building height as a minimum separation gap between buildings to preclude pounding. This article presents experimental and numerical results to examine the adequacy of this specification to avoid seismic pounding between steel-frame structures under near-field and far-field earthquakes. It is found that AS1170.4-2007 is inadequate if the shorter building is used to estimate the required separation between adjacent structures under both near-field and far-field earthquakes. The code specification is adequate if the taller building is used to estimate the required separation between adjacent structures under far-field earthquakes only. The results are also compared with corresponding results obtained using the ABS and SRSS methods.

No abstract

Pounding between adjacent structures occurs when the separating distance within the two buildings is inadequate to contain the movement between them during an earthquake event. Seismic pounding can lead to significant harm or even the destruction of neighbouring structures. In creating a model for structural response, impact stiffness is considered as a critical factor in calculating the impact force throughout the collision within adjacent structures. It is important to derive realistic stiffness values when performing a numerical simulation of pounding forces within abutting structures to attain valid results. The objective of this study is to ascertain the impact stiffness within the linear viscoelastic contact model, using data obtained from shaking table experiments of pounding between neighboring five-storey and 15-storey single-bay model of steel-frame. The steel models were subjected to scaled ground acceleration records, two far-field and two near-field. The study’s findings indicate that there is a significant discrepancy between the theoretical impact parameters and the measured experimental value because the assumptions made to derive the theoretical formulas do not align with the actual impact conditions. The accuracy and precision of the experimental formula adopted in this study have been validated in comparison with the numerical results. Doi: 10.28991/CEJ-2023-09-06-01 Full Text: PDF