Earthquake Response of Circular Concrete Water Tanks

This project is concerned with reviewing the ACI and AWWA Design Standards for the consideration of earthquake design provisions and updating them to conform to modern code standards. Simplified design provisions are also being developed (Feeser)

Snowloads on Structures

This research area focuses on the magnitude and distribution of roof snowloads which are needed for structural analysis and design of building roofs. Relations for drift loads of roof steps and on the leeward side of gable roofs are developed. Additional surcharge loads due to rainfall on an existing roof snowpack are also studied. The resulting relations, suitable for use in building codes and load standards, are based upon laboratory findings from the Rensselaer Water Flume and analysis of full scale case histories. (O'Rourke)

Seismic Behavior and Design of Buried Pipelines

This research area focuses on the effects of earthquakes on buried pipeline and appropriate codes/guidelines for retrofit and design of these critical lifelines. Relations for the stress and strain in continuous pipeline and the relative displacement and rotation at joints in segmented pipeline due to seismic wave propagation and/or permanent ground deformation are being developed. This information is coupled with the limit stated for various failure modes in order to develop procedures for seismic design of new lines. For existing buried pipeline systems, emipirical fragility relations based upon observed performance in past earthquakes are developed. This information on the expected behavior is coupled with the cost of system outages to determine appropriate retrofit standards. (O'Rourke)

Prediction of Earthquakes Strong Motion

The focus of this project is the analysis and modeling of earthquake strong motion accounting properly for local site effects. The earthquake response of geologic structures such as sedimentary valleys and canyons is studied in a unified treatment with the seismic source. The ultimate objective is the prediction of earthquake strong motion in a form useful for earthquake engineers based on understanding the basic physical laws governing fault mechanics and propagation of waves through realistic media. (Papageorgiou)