Part of the book: Intelligent Mechatronics
A finite element code, which can handle large-scale collapse and motion behaviors of structural and non-structural components of buildings, was developed. The code was developed with a use of an adaptively shifted integration (ASI)-Gauss technique. It provides higher computational efficiency than the conventional code in those problems with strong nonlinearities including phenomena such as member fracture and elemental contact. Several numerical results obtained by using the numerical code are shown in this chapter: first, a seismic pounding analysis of the Nuevo Leon buildings, in which two out of the three buildings collapsed completely in the 1985 Mexican earthquake, then, a continuous analysis of a steel frame building, subjected to a seismic excitation followed by application of tsunami force, and finally collided with a debris. A motion behavior analysis of a gymnasium is followed as a numerical example, showing the behaviors of indoor components such as ceilings, which dropped occasionally due to detachment of clips and screws. Furthermore, numerical results on motion behavior analysis of furniture were validated with some experimental results.
Part of the book: Earthquakes
The Great East Japan Earthquake and the following tsunami that occurred on March 11, 2011 caused a significant disaster along the ocean side of the Tohoku area. The big tsunami carried different kinds of debris such as ships and cars up the stream, which caused additional damage to the buildings in the area. In this chapter, a finite element approach for the damage estimation of a steel-framed building under tsunami flow is described. A seismic wave recorded during the earthquake was first applied to the model, followed by an input of fluid forces owing to the tsunami wave. A three-dimensional free-surface-flow analysis code based on the volume of fluid (VOF) method was adopted to simulate wave propagation problems and compare the obtained wave forces between several inflow conditions and building shapes. Then, a debris model with a velocity was collided, and the collapse behavior of the building was simulated using the adaptively shifted integration (ASI)-Gauss code.
Part of the book: Earthquakes