Title: Effect of seismic improvement techniques on a structure in seismic-explosive probabilistic two-hazard risk

Authors: Gholamreza Abdollahzadeh; Hadi Faghihmaleki

Addresses: Faculty of Civil Engineering, Babol University of Technology, Iran ' Faculty of Civil Engineering, Babol University of Technology, Iran

Abstract: The current research addresses the effect of seismic improvement on enhancing seismic-explosive probabilistic two-hazard risk. The seismic improvement has occurred through increasing lateral stiffness which has been done through adding braces. Two types of braces namely valgus concentrically brace frame and buckling restrained brace, in two different distributions totally making four improvement models, have been considered. The probabilistic risk for each improvement model and the initial structural system has been estimated through creating different scenarios based on uncertainty parameters of earthquake and the blast. Two critical events of earthquake and gas blast are considered to evaluate the probabilistic two-hazard risk, both of which are regarded as compatible and interdependent so that an earthquake-related blast happens simultaneously or a little after the quake and as a result of gas leak or damage in mechanical and thermal facilities. Finally, the effect of improvement in enhancing the performance of the structure has been addressed.

Keywords: probabilistic risk; seismic improvement; brace frames; buckling restrained braces; gas blast; progressive collapse; earthquakes; lateral stiffness; gas explosions; structural performance.

DOI: 10.1504/IJSTRUCTE.2016.077726

International Journal of Structural Engineering, 2016 Vol.7 No.3, pp.314 - 331

Received: 11 Jun 2015
Accepted: 27 Oct 2015

Published online: 13 Jul 2016 *

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