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Preliminary Report On The 22 December 2003, M 6.5 San Simeon, California Earthquake, Jeanne L. Hardebeck, John Boatwright, Douglas Dreger, Rakesh K. Goel, Vladimir Graizer, Kenneth Hudnut, Chen Ji, Lucile Jones, John Langbein, Jian Lin, Evelyn Roeloffs, Robert Simpson, Keith Stark, Ross Stein, John C. Tinsley

Civil and Environmental Engineering

The M_w 6.5 San Simeon earthquake struck the central California coast on 22 December 2003 at 19:15:56 UTC (11:15:56 am local time.) The epicenter was located 11 km northeast of the town of San Simeon, and 39 km west-northwest of Paso Robles (Figure 1), as reported by the California Integrated Seismic Network (CISN, the California region of the Advanced National Seismic System [ANSS]). The mainshock nucleated at 35.702°N, 121.108°W and a depth of 7.1 km, and the rupture propagated unilaterally to the southeast. The strong directivity of the rupture resulted in a concentration of damage and aftershock...

Evaluation Of Modal And Fema Pushover Analyses: Sac Buildings, Rakesh K. Goel, Anil K. Chopra

Civil and Environmental Engineering

This paper comprehensively evaluates the Modal Pushover Analysis (MPA) procedure against the ‘‘exact’’ nonlinear response history analysis (RHA) and investigates the accuracy of seismic demands determined by pushover analysis using FEMA-356 force distributions; the MPA procedure in this paper contains several improvements over the original version presented in Chopra and Goel (2002). Seismic demands are computed for six buildings, each analyzed for 20 ground motions. It is demonstrated that with increasing number of ‘‘modes’’ included, the height-wise distribution of story drifts and plastic rotations estimated by MPA becomes generally similar to trends noted from nonlinear RHA. The additional bias and …

Global Shear Wave Velocity Database For Probabilistic Assessment Of The Initiation Of Seismic-Soil Liquefaction, Robert Kayen, Raymond B. Seed, Robb E.S. Moss, Onder K. Cetin, Y. Tanaka, Kohji Tokimatsu

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Engineering practitioners commonly use penetration-based methods (SPT & CPT) for assessment of seismic liquefaction triggering hazard. On the horizon, shear wave velocity (V_s) may offer engineers a third tool that is lower cost and provides more physically meaningful measurements. Development of the shear wave velocity liquefaction method has been hampered by a paucity of published velocity profiles; particularly in deeper soil deposits (>10m) and deposits subjected to high cyclic stress ratios (CSR > 0.3). A review of the literature reveals that most historic liquefaction sites fitting this depth and CSR criteria are located in Asia, though most of …

Retesting Of Liquefaction And Non-Liquefaction Case Histories In The Imperial Valley Using Cpt, Robb E.S. Moss, Brian D. Collins, Daniel H. Whang, Jonathan P. Stewart

Civil and Environmental Engineering

This report documents the retesting of liquefaction and non-liquefaction field case histories in the Imperial Valley with the cone penetration test (CPT). The River Park and Heber Road sites were originally tested using a mechanical cone following the 1979 Imperial Valley Earthquake (Bennett et al., 1981; Youd & Bennett, 1983). These two sites are rich in information because they have experienced several earthquakes in recent history, have been subjected to moderate levels of strong ground shaking, the liquefiable soils have appreciable fines content, and the sites contain a number of non-liquefied data points.

Recent liquefaction case histories databases (Moss et …

Predicting Freeway Crashes From Loop Detector Data By Matched Case-Control Logistic Regression, Mohamed Abdel-Aty, Nizam Uddin, Anurag Pande, Fathy M. Abdalla, Liang Hsia

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Growing concern over traffic safety has led to research into prediction of freeway crashes in an advanced traffic management and information systems environment. A crash likelihood prediction model was developed by using real-time traffic flow variables (measured through a series of underground sensors) potentially associated with crash occurrence. The issues related to real-time application, including range of stations and time slice duration to be examined, were also addressed. The methodology used, matched case-control logistic regression, was adopted from epidemiological studies in which every crash is a case and corresponding noncrashes act as controls. The 5-min average occupancy observed at the …

Joint Application Of Artificial Neural Networks And Evolutionary Algorithms To Watershed Management, Misgana K. Muleta, John W. Nicklow

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Artificial neural networks (ANNs) have become common data driven tools for modeling complex, nonlinear problems in science and engineering. Many previous applications have relied on gradient-based search techniques, such as the back propagation (BP) algorithm, for ANN training. Such techniques, however, are highly susceptible to premature convergence to local optima and require a trial-and-error process for effective design of ANN architecture and connection weights. This paper investigates the use of evolutionary programming (EP), a robust search technique, and a hybrid EP–BP training algorithm for improved ANN design. Application results indicate that the EP–BP algorithm may limit the drawbacks of using …

Preliminary Report On December 22, 2003 San Simeon Earthquake, Rakesh K. Goel

Civil and Environmental Engineering

A strong earthquake of magnitude 6.5 ( M_w) struck the Central Coast of California at 11:15:56 AM PST (19:15:56 UTC) on Monday, December 22, 2003. The epicenter (Figure 1) was 11 km (7 mile) NE of San Simeon, at a depth of about 8 km (5 mile). Two people were killed and about 40 buildings collapsed or severely damaged at Paso Robles which is located about 39 km (24 mile) from the epicenter. At least 40 people were reported to be injured in the Paso Robles-Templeton area. This preliminary report presents basic information on the epicenter location, intensity …

Evaluation Of Nonlinear Static Procedures Using Strong-Motion Records Of Buildings, Rakesh K. Goel

Civil and Environmental Engineering

The objective of this investigation is to evaluate the FEMA-356 Nonlinear Static Procedure (NSP) and a recently developed Modal Pushover Analysis (MPA) procedure using recorded motions of four buildings that were damaged during the 1994 Northridge earthquake. For this purpose, the motions at non-instrumented floors are “derived” from the motions at instrumented floors by using cubic spline interpolation procedure. Analytical models of the four buildings are developed using the computer program D2DX and calibrated by matching the computed vibration periods and the “elastic” periods identified form the recorded motions. Accuracy of the computer model is evaluated by comparing the computed …

A Modal Pushover Analysis Procedure To Estimate Seismic Demands For Unsymmetric-Plan Buildings: Theory And Preliminary Evaluation, Anil K. Chopra, Rakesh K. Goel

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Based on structural dynamics theory, the modal pushover analysis procedure (MPA) retains the conceptual simplicity of current procedures with invariant force distribution, now common in structural engineering practice. The MPA procedure for estimating seismic demands is extended to unsymmetric-plan buildings. In the MPA procedure, the seismic demand due to individual terms in the modal expansion of the effective earthquake forces is determined by nonlinear static analysis using the inertia force distribution for each mode, which for unsymmetric buildings includes two lateral forces and torque at each floor level. These “modal” demands due to the first few terms of the modal …

A Multiobjective Sdss For Management Of Urbanizing Watersheds: The Case Of The Lower Kaskaskia Basin, Illinois, Kyle O. Allred, John W. Nicklow, Misgana K. Muleta, Leslie A. Duram

Civil and Environmental Engineering

The conversion of natural and agriculturally dominated watersheds to industrial, commercial and residential developments leads to a cascade of adjustments in runoff quantity and stream quality at locations further downstream. The use of sophisticated hydrologic simulation models and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) has become the standard for evaluating these impacts of urban sprawl on water resources systems. Simulation and GIS models alone, however, are incapable of directly revealing optimal land development patterns that meet specified objectives. This paper describes the development of a multi-objective Spatial Decision Support System (SDSS) designed to overcome this limitation. The SDSS is created by integrating …

Engineering The World: Hands-On Experimentation For Civil Engineering K-12 Outreach, James L. Hanson, Donald D. Carpenter, Tarek Rizk

Civil and Environmental Engineering

This paper details the development and application of a community outreach program designed to teach children about math, science, and the world in which they live. The program was titled “Engineering the World” and emphasized civil engineering applications. The program was offered in an inner-city middle school in Detroit, Michigan. The program was developed by civil engineering professors at Lawrence Technological University with the assistance of undergraduate engineering students. The activities were categorized by civil engineering discipline including construction, environmental, geotechnical, hydraulics, structural, surveying, and transportation. The paper describes details of several of the hands-on experiments and provides an assessment …

Optimization Of High-Strength Hydrocarbon Biodegradation Using Respirometry, Bunkim G. Chokshi, Yarrow M. Nelson

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Laboratory respirometry experiments were conducted on mixtures of soil and oily sludge to estimate biodegradation rates by CO₂ production rates and determine optimum conditions for biodegradation of high-strength hydrocarbon waste products. These experiments were used to determine a suitable range of total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) concentration for biological treatment and to optimize for nutrient addition and moisture content. CO₂ production rates from biological respiration of hydrocarbon-contaminated soil were maximized at concentrations of 3-9% TPH (30,00090,000 mg/kg TPH). CO₂ production rates decreased dramatically at concentrations above 9% TPH, indicating that either these concentrations are lethal to microbes present, …

Phytostimulation Of Hydrocarbon Biodegradation By Arroyo Willows In Laboratory Microcosms, Kenneth M. Hoffman, Yarrow M. Nelson

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Controlled laboratory microcosms with and without Arroyo Willows (Salix lasiolepis) were used to elucidate potential mechanisms of phytoremediation of hydrocarbon-contaminated groundwater at a contaminated oil field near Guadalupe, CA. Laboratory control allows us to examine the synergistic effects between the plants themselves and the rhizobial bacteria associated with them. Laboratory microcosms were set up in triplicate with (1) sodium azide-inhibited soil, (2) soil with active bacteria, and (3) soil with active bacteria and willows. Hydrocarbon-contaminated groundwater was recirculated through the root zone for 105 days. Biodegradation rates were estimated by measuring total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) concentration and monitoring chemical oxygen …

Experimental Investigation Of Dynamic Response Of Compacted Clayey Soils, Gokhan Inci, Nazli Yesiller, Takaaki Kagawa

Civil and Environmental Engineering

A study was conducted to determine the dynamic properties of compacted clayey soils subjected to low amplitude vibration. A fast and simple ultrasonic pulse transmission method was used. Tests were conducted on three clayey soils with low to high plasticity compacted using standard and modified Proctor effort over a range of water contents. The samples were allowed to dry after compaction and P-wave velocity, S-wave velocity, Poisson's ratio, and shear modulus were determined. The effects of soil type, compaction conditions, and degree of saturation on the dynamic response of the soils were investigated. The elastic wave velocities and the dynamic …

Evaluation Of Nonlinear Static Procedures Using Strong-Motion Building Records, Rakesh K. Goel

Civil and Environmental Engineering

The objective of this investigation is to evaluate the FEMA-356 Nonlinear Static Procedure (NSP) and a recently developed Modal Pushover Analysis (MPA) procedure using recorded motions of buildings that were damaged during the 1994 Northridge earthquake. It is found the FEMA-356 NSP typically underestimates the drifts in upper stories and overestimates them in lower stories. The MPA procedure provides much-improved estimates of the response compared to the FEMA-356 NSP. In particular, the MPA procedure, unlike the FEMA-356 NSP, is able to capture the effects of higher modes.

Cpt-Based Probabilistic Assessment Of Seismic Soil Liquefaction Initiation., Robb E.S. Moss

Civil and Environmental Engineering

The correlation of seismic field performance with in situ index test results has been proven to be a reliable method for defining the threshold between liquefaction and non-liquefaction. The objective of this research was to define in the most accurate and unbiased manner possible the initiation of seismic soil liquefaction using the Cone Penetration Test (CPT). Case histories of occurrence and non-occurrence of soil liquefaction were collected from seismic events over the past three decades. These were processed to develop improved CPT-based correlations for prediction of the likelihood of “triggering” or initiation of soil liquefaction during earthquakes. Important advances over …

Cpt-Based Liquefaction Field Case Histories From The 1995 Hyogoken-Nambu (Kobe) Earthquake, Japan, Y. Suzuki, Kohji Tokimatsu, Robb E.S. Moss, Raymond B. Seed, Robert E. Kayen

Civil and Environmental Engineering

This report documents CPT-based field case histories from the 1995 Hyogoken-Nambu (Kobe) Earthquake in Japan. These case histories are proprietary and were acquired by Mr. Y. Suzuki of the Kajima Corporation under the supervision of Prof. K. Tokimatsu of Tokyo Institute of Technology. Each case history is composed of two pages, one page of vital statistics and one page showing the CPT trace with the assumed critical layer delineated. Field performance of each site was assessed by Mr. Y. Suzuki as well as the performance assessments published in Akai et al. (1995). The liquefaction and non-liquefaction data that were used …

Recent Advances In Soil Liquefaction Engineering: A Unified And Consistent Framework, Raymond B. Seed, K. Onder Cetin, Robb E.S. Moss, Annie M. Kammerer, Jiaer Wu, Juan M. Pestana, Michael F. Riemer, Rodolfo B. Sancio, Jonathan D. Bray, Robert E. Kayen, Allison Faris

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Over the past decade, major advances have occurred in both understanding and practice with regard to assessment and mitigation of hazard associated with seismically induced soil liquefaction. Soil liquefaction engineering has evolved into a sub-field in its own right, and engineering assessment and mitigation of seismic soil liquefaction hazard is increasingly well addressed in both research and practice. This rapid evolution in the treatment of liquefaction has been pushed largely by a confluence of lessons and data provided by a series of major earthquakes over the past dozen years, as well as by the research and professional/political will engendered by …

Statistics Of Single-Degree-Of-Freedom Estimate Of Displacement For Pushover Analysis Of Buildings, Anil K. Chopra, Rakesh K. Goel, Chatpan Chintanapakdee

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Investigated is the basic premise that the roof displacement of a multistory building can be determined from the deformation of a single-degree-of-freedom (SDF) system. The responses of both systems are determined rigorously by nonlinear response history analysis, without introducing any of the approximations underlying the simplified methods for estimating the deformation of a SDF system (see, e.g., FEMA-273 or ATC-40 guidelines). The statistics of the SDF system estimate of roof displacement are presented for a variety of generic frames and six SAC buildings subjected to ground motion ensembles. Data obtained for generic frames indicate that the first ‘‘mode’’ SDF system …

Analysis Of Temperatures At A Municipal Solid Waste Landfill, Nazli Yesiller, James L. Hanson

Civil and Environmental Engineering

A study is conducted to determine the thermal regime within and around a municipal solid waste landfill located in midwestern U.S.A. Spatial distributions of temperatures have been determined over time since 1999 within the waste mass, liner and cover systems, and surrounding subgrade. Seasonal variations, placement of waste, age of waste, depth and location of waste, and available moisture have significant effects on temperatures. Temperatures of wastes at shallow depths, bottom liner systems prior to waste placement, and final cover systems conform to seasonal temperature variations. Steady elevated temperatures are reached with respect to air and ground temperatures at central …

Seismic Response Study Of Asymmetric Systems With Linear And Nonlinear Fluid Viscous Dampers, Rakesh K. Goel

Civil and Environmental Engineering

This investigation is concerned with application of nonlinear fluid viscous dampers for asymmetric-plan systems. For this purpose, the behavior of nonlinear fluid viscous dampers is summarized first followed by the effects of damper nonlinearity on seismic response of asymmetric systems. It is shown that the peak force in nonlinear damper tends to be smaller compared to linear damper. However, this is true only for values of V / ů_o less that a certain threshold value; for larger values of V / ů_o, the force in nonlinear damper may become larger· than that in the linear damper. While …

Some Observed Queue Discharge Features At A Freeway Bottleneck Downstream Of A Merge, Robert L. Bertini, Michael J. Cassidy

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Details of traffic evolution were studied upstream and downstream of a freeway bottleneck located near a busy on-ramp. It is shown that on certain days the bottleneck became active upon dissipation of a queue emanating from somewhere further downstream. On such occasions, the bottleneck occurred at a fixed location, approximately one kilometer downstream of the merge. Notably, even after the dissipation of a downstream queue, the discharge flows in the active bottleneck were nearly constant, since the cumulative counts never deviated much from a linear trend. The average bottleneck discharge flows were also reproducible from day to day. The diagnostic …

Impact Of Soil Type And Compaction Conditions On Soil Water Characteristic, C. J. Miller, N. Yesiller, K. Yaldo, S. Merayyan

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Tests were conducted to determine the variation of water content and pore water suction for compacted clayey soils. The soils had varying amounts of clay fraction with plasticities ranging from low to high plasticity. The unsaturated soil behavior was investigated for six conditions, covering a range of compactive efforts and water contents. The experimental data were fit to four commonly used models for the water content-pore water suction relationship. Each model provided a satisfactory fit to the experimental data. However, the individual parameters obtained from the curve fits varied significantly between models. The soil water characteristic curves (SWCCs) were more …

Dynamic Properties Of Fire Sprinkler Systems, James S. Dillingham, Rakesh K. Goel

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Four fire protection systems have been attached to a small building model for testing their dynamic properties. Three of the systems used CPVC (fire rated) plastic pipes while the fourth was made from schedule-40 steel pipe. The building model was securely attached to a three by three foot shake table in one of two orientations and was able to experience base accelerations along both its principle axis (longitudinal, transverse). Test procedures involved sending a sine sweep with a progressively increasing frequency at a constant acceleration value. Various recording locations provided data showing fundamental frequencies with pronounced amplification over the base …

Influence Of Inclined Viscous Damper On Column Axial Force, Rakesh K. Goel

Civil and Environmental Engineering

This investigation examined the influence of inclined viscous damper on column axial force in a simple one-story frame building for harinonic loading and earthquake ground motion. It is shown that the peak column axial force in a system with inclined damper can be several times that in a system with horizontal damper, both having the same damping ratio. The amplification factor increases with increasing ratio of the forcing frequency to the system's natural frequency for harmonic loading, and with increasing system's natural vibration period for earthquake loading; the amplification also increases with increasing damping ratio. Furthermore, the peak column axial …

Evaluation Of Modal Pushover Analysis: Sac Buildings Excluding Gravity Loads, Anil K. Chopra, Rakesh K. Goel

Civil and Environmental Engineering

No abstract provided.

A Modal Pushover Analysis Procedure For Estimating Seismic Demands For Buildings, Anil K. Chopra, Rakesh K. Goel

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Developed herein is an improved pushover analysis procedure based on structural dynamics theory, which retains the conceptual simplicity and computational attractiveness of current procedures with invariant force distribution. In this modal pushover analysis (MPA), the seismic demand due to individual terms in the modal expansion of the effective earthquake forces is determined by a pushover analysis using the inertia force distribution for each mode. Combining these ‘modal’ demands due to the first two or three terms of the expansion provides an estimate of the total seismic demand on inelastic systems. When applied to elastic systems, the MPA procedure is shown …

Kinetics Of Mn(Ii) Oxidation By Leptothrix Discophora Ss1, Jinghao Zhang, Leonard W. Lion, Yarrow M. Nelson, Michael L. Shuler, William C. Ghiorse

Civil and Environmental Engineering

The kinetics of Mn(II) oxidation by the bacterium Leptothrix discophora SS1 was investigated in this research. Cells were grown in a minimal mineral salts medium in which chemical speciation was well defined. Mn(II) oxidation was observed in a bioreactor under controlled conditions with pH, O>sub>2, and temperature regulation. Mn(II) oxidation experiments were performed at cell concentrations between 24 mg/L and 35 mg/L, over a pH range from 6 to 8.5, between temperatures of 10°C and 40°C, over a dissolved oxygen range of 0 to 8.05 mg/L, and with L. discophora SS1 cells that were grown in the presence …

Evolutionary Algorithms For Multiobjective Evaluation Of Watershed Management Decisions, Misgana K. Muleta, John W. Nicklow

Civil and Environmental Engineering

The comprehensive and systematic management of watersheds is essential for reducing the adverse environmental impacts arising from anthropogenically caused erosion and subsequent sedimentation. This paper describes a computational methodology that is designed to serve as a watershed decision support system and is capable of controlling environmental impacts of non-point source pollution resulting from erosion. In the decision process, the methodology also accounts for other inseparable objectives such as economics and social dynamics of the watershed. This decision support tool was developed by integrating a comprehensive hydrologic model known as SWAT and state-of-the-art multiobjective optimization technique within the framework of a …

Statistics Of Sdf-System Estimate Of Roof Displacement For Pushover Analysis Of Buildings, Anil K. Chopra, Rakesh K. Goel, Chatpan Chintanapakdee

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Investigated in this report is the basic premise that the roof displacement of a multistory building can be determined from the deformation of an SDF system. For this purpose, the response of both systems is determined rigorously by nonlinear response history analysis, without introducing any of the approximations underlying the simplified methods for estimating the deformation of an SDF system (see, e.g., FEMA-273 or ATC-40 guidelines). The statistics of the SDF-system estimate of roof displacement are presented for a variety of building frames and six SAC buildings subjected to ground motion ensembles.

Two sets of structural systems and ground motions …