This study investigates seismic response of the Moment-Resisting-Steel Frames (MRSF) with the architectural setbacks. The main objective of the study is to understand the variation of the elastic and inelastic, static and dynamic behavior with changes in the geometric dimensions of the tower portion. A second objective of the study is to determine the adequacy of the analysis procedures of various rigors, specified in current seismic design provision, in predicting those behaviors for MRSF with various size of setback. The analytical study is conducted using a regular and 16 irregular models to capture all possible combinations of configuration of setback in five-story, five-bay MRSFs. An irregular model is developed by gradually changing the horizontal and vertical dimensions of the tower portion of the regular base 2D frame-model. All models were designed for (a) equal global displacement and uniform distribution of inter-story drift under First-Mode (FM) lateral force distribution pattern at first significant yield, and (b) equal period of vibration at the first mode, using Nonlinear Static Seismic analysis procedure. Among the conclusions derived from the research is that the variation of (a) the elastic and inelastic inter-story drift, the ductility demand for the top three stories, and (b) the elastic and inelastic global displacement exhibited a pattern similar to the variation of the FM participation factor at the roof, PF1Φr,1. The square-root-of-sum-of-square (SRSS) distribution provided accurate estimates of elastic story shear and inter-story drift demand as well as the story yield strength and drift.

The controlled rocking heavy timber wall (CRHTW) is a high-performance structural solution that was first developed in New Zealand, mainly considering Laminated Veneer Lumber (LVL), to resist high seismic loads without sustaining structural damage. The wall responds in bending and shear to small lateral loads, and it rocks on its foundation in response to large seismic loads. In previous studies, rocking has been controlled by both energy dissipation elements and post-tensioning, and the latter returns the wall to its original position after a seismic event. The controlled rocking response avoids the need for structural repair after an earthquake, allowing for more rapid return to occupancy than in conventional structures. Whereas controlled rocking walls with supplemental energy dissipation have been studied before using LVL, this thesis proposes an adapted CRHTW in which the design and construction cost and complexity are reduced for low-to-moderate seismic hazard regions by removing supplemental energy dissipation and using cross-laminated timber (CLT) because of its positive economic and environmental potential in the North American market. Moreover, whereas previous research has focussed on direct displacement-based design procedures for CRHTWs, with limited consideration of force-based design parameters, this thesis focusses on force-based design procedures that are more common in practice. A design and analysis process is outlined for the adapted CRHTW, based on a similar methodology for controlled rocking steel braced frames. The design process includes a new proposal to minimize the design forces while still controlling peak drifts, and it also includes a new proposal for predicting the influence of the higher modes by referring to previous research on the capacity design of controlled rocking steel braced frames. Also, a numerical model is outlined, including both a baseline version and a lower-bound model based on comparison to experimental data. The numerical model is used for non-linear time-history analysis of a prototype design, confirming the expected performance of the adapted CRHTW, and the model is also used for incremental dynamic analyses of three-, six-, and nine-storey prototypes, which show a low probability of collapse. / Thesis / Master of Applied Science (MASc) / The controlled rocking heavy timber wall (CRHTW) is a high-performance structural solution that was developed to resist high seismic loads without sustaining structural damage. The wall responds in bending and shear to small lateral loads, and it rocks on its foundation in response to large seismic loads. In previous studies, rocking has been controlled by both energy dissipation elements and post-tensioning; the latter returns the wall to its original position after a seismic event. This controlled rocking behaviour mitigates structural damage and costly repairs. This thesis explores the value of an adapted CRHTW in which the design and construction costs and complexity are reduced for low-to-moderate seismic hazard regions by using post-tensioning but no supplemental energy dissipation. A design and analysis process is outlined; numerical analysis confirms the expected performance of the adapted CRHTW; and the system is shown to have a low probability of collapse.

A large amount of low-rise unreinforced masonry structures (URM) can be foundin Groningen, the Netherlands. More and more induced earthquakes with shortduration have been detected in this region due to gas exploitation. Local unreinforcedmasonry (URM) buildings were initially not designed for withstanding seismicactions, so that unexpected damage may occur due to their vulnerability, raising insecurityamong residents. Existing low-rise masonry buildings in Groningen can bedivided into different categories based on their characteristics. Two types of residentialmasonry buildings that fulfil the prerequisites for performing non-linear seismicassessment are chosen to be studied in this thesis project, including the terracedhouse and the detached house.The seismic assessment of structures requires the use of both a discretization methodand a seismic assessment method. The discretization method is used to translate themechanical model into a finite element model used for the numerical analysis. Severalmethods have previously shown to be applicable for seismic assessment, but thiswork investigates the implications of using a continuum model (CM) and an equivalentframe model (EFM) approach to discretization in the general-purpose finiteelement package described in DIANA-FEA-BV (2017). The continuum model approachadopted was in a previous work by Schreppers et al. (2017) validated againstexperimental results and is as such deemed representative of the physical behaviourof the mechanical models investigated. An equivalent frame model approach to beused with DIANA is proposed in the work by Nobel (2017). The continuum modelapproach uses continuum elements with a constitutive model developed for the seismicassessment of masonry structures. This constitutive model captures both shearand flexural failure mechanisms. The equivalent frame model approach uses a combinationof numerically integrated beam elements and nodal interfaces, each witha distinct constitutive model, thus decoupling the description of the flexural andshear behaviour. This approach aims to capture the macro-behaviour at the structurallevel. The applicability of the proposed equivalent frame model approach isevaluated by how well it replicates the validated continuum model approach results.The two discretization methods described are evaluated using two types of seismicassessment methods. The first seismic assessment method used consists of first performinga quasi-static non-linear pushover analysis (NLPO) on the model. Thisresults in the pushover curve, which describes the global behaviour of the modelunder an equivalent lateral load based on the fundamental mode shape of the structure.The pushover curve is then used with the N2-method described in EN1998-1iii(2004) to assess at which peak ground acceleration (PGA) that the model reachesthe near-collapse (NC) limit state. The second seismic assessment method consistsof performing dynamic non-linear time-history analyses (NLTH). This method usesrecorded accelerograms to impose the inertial forces. The PGA for the accelerogramwhere the near-collapse limit state is reached is compared to the PGA fromthe use of the N2-method. The applicability of the pushover analysis in conjunctionwith the N2-method is evaluated by how well it replicates the PGA found from thetime-history analyses and by how well it replicates local failure mechanisms.Therefore, the main objectives of this project can be described by the following twoquestions:i. To what extent can the equivalent frame method be applicable as a properdiscretization method for pushover analyses and time-history analyses oflow-rise unreinforced masonry residential buildings in the Groningen region?ii. To what extent can the non-linear pushover method be adopted toassess the seismic behaviour of low-rise unreinforced masonry residentialbuildings in the Groningen region?The applicability of the equivalent frame model showed to vary. For describing localfailure mechanisms its applicability is poor. Further work on connecting the edgepiers to transverse walls is needed. For seismic assessment using the N2-method theapplicability of the equivalent frame model approach is sensible. The conservativedisplacement capacity counteracts the fact that it is worse at describing local unloading,which produced a larger initial equivalent stiffness of the bi-linear curvesin comparison to the continuum model. For seismic assessment using the timehistorysignals, its applicability is possible. While it could show different behaviourin terms of displacement and damping forces, it still showed a similar PGA at thenear-collapse limit state for the cases at hand.The seismic assessment of the terraced and detached houses by the N2-method issimilar to the seismic prediction by applying time-history analyses. However, thereare still some variations in the initial stiffness, force capacity and displacement capacitybetween these two assessment methods due to the assumptions and limitationsin this study. Overall, considering the pros and cons of the quasi-static pushovermethod, it is deemed applicable during the seismic assessment of the unreinforcedmasonry structures in the Groningen area.

Due to the emergence of new materials and advanced engineering technology, slender footbridges are increasingly becoming popular to satisfy the modern transportation needs and the aesthetical requirements of society. These structures however are always &quotlively" with low stiffness, low mass, low damping and low natural frequencies. As a consequence, they are prone to vibration induced by human activities and can suffer severe vibration serviceability problems, particularly in the lateral direction. This phenomenon has been evidenced by the excessive lateral vibration of many footbridges worldwide such as the Millennium Bridge in London and the T-Bridge in Japan. Unfortunately, present bridge design codes worldwide do not provide sufficient guidelines and information to address such vibrations problems and to ensure safety and serviceability due to the lack of knowledge on the dynamic performance of such slender vibration sensitive bridge structures. A conceptual study has been carried out to comprehensively investigate the dynamic characteristics of slender suspension footbridges under human-induced dynamic loads and a footbridge model in full size with pre-tensioned reverse profiled cables in the vertical and horizontal planes has been proposed for this purpose. A similar physical suspension bridge model was designed and constructed in the laboratory, and experimental testings have been carried out to calibrate the computer simulations. The synchronous excitation induced by walking has been modelled as crowd walking dynamic loads which consist of dynamic vertical force, dynamic lateral force and static vertical force. The dynamic behaviour under synchronous excitation is simulated by resonant vibration at the pacing rate which coincides with a natural frequency of the footbridge structure. Two structural analysis software packages, Microstran and SAP2000 have been employed in the extensive numerical analysis. Research results show that the structural stiffness and vibration properties of suspension footbridges with pre-tensioned reverse profiled cables can be adjusted by choosing different structural parameters such as cable sag, cable section and pretensions in the reverse profiled cables. Slender suspension footbridges always have four main kinds of vibration modes: lateral, torsional, vertical and longitudinal modes. The lateral and torsional modes are often combined together and become two kinds of coupled modes: coupled lateral-torsional modes and coupled torsionallateral modes. Such kind of slender footbridges also have different dynamic performance in the lateral and vertical directions, and damping has only a small effect on the lateral vibration but significant effect on the vertical one. The fundamental coupled lateral-torsional mode and vertical mode are easily excited when crowd walking dynamic loads are distributed on full bridge deck. When the crowd walking dynamic loads are distributed eccentrically on half width of the deck, the fundamental coupled torsional-lateral mode can be excited and large lateral deflection can be induced. Higher order vertical modes and coupled lateral-torsional modes can also be excited by groups of walking pedestrians under certain conditions. It is found that the coupling coefficient introduced in this thesis to describe the coupling of a coupled mode, is an important factor which has significant effect on the lateral dynamic performance of slender suspension footbridges. The coupling coefficient, however, is influenced by many structural parameters such as cable configuration, cable section, cable sag, bridge span and pre-tensions, etc. In general, a large dynamic amplification factor is expected when the fundamental mode of a footbridge structure is the coupled lateral-torsional mode with a small coupling coefficient. The research findings of this thesis are useful in understanding the complex dynamic behaviour of slender and vibration sensitive suspension footbridges under humaninduced dynamic loads. They are also helpful in developing design guidance and techniques to improve the dynamic performance of such slender vibration sensitive footbridges and similar structures and hence to ensure their safety and serviceability.

A large amount of low-rise unreinforced masonry structures (URM) can be found in Groningen, the Netherlands. More and more induced earthquakes with short duration have been detected in this region due to gas exploitation. Local unreinforced masonry (URM) buildings were initially not designed for withstanding seismic actions, so that unexpected damage may occur due to their vulnerability, raising insecurity among residents. Existing low-rise masonry buildings in Groningen can be divided into different categories based on their characteristics. Two types of residential masonry buildings that fulfil the prerequisites for performing non-linear seismic assessment are chosen to be studied in this thesis project, including the terraced house and the detached house. The seismic assessment of structures requires the use of both a discretization method and a seismic assessment method. The discretization method is used to translate the mechanical model into a finite element model used for the numerical analysis. Several methods have previously shown to be applicable for seismic assessment, but this work investigates the implications of using a continuum model (CM) and an equivalent frame model (EFM) approach to discretization in the general-purpose finite element package described in n DIANA-FEA-BV (2017). The continuum model approach adopted was in a previous work by Schreppers et al. (2017) validated against experimental results and is as such deemed representative of the physical behaviour of the mechanical models investigated. An equivalent frame model approach to be used with DIANA is proposed in the work by Nobel (2017). The continuum model approach uses continuum elements with a constitutive model developed for the seismic assessment of masonry structures. This constitutive model captures both shear and flexural failure mechanisms. The equivalent frame model approach uses a combination of numerically integrated beam elements and nodal interfaces, each with a distinct constitutive model, thus decoupling the description of the flexural and shear behaviour. This approach aims to capture the macro-behaviour at the structural level. The applicability of the proposed equivalent frame model approach is evaluated by how well it replicates the validated continuum model approach results. The two discretization methods described are evaluated using two types of seismic assessment methods. The first seismic assessment method used consists of first performing a quasi-static non-linear pushover analysis (NLPO) on the model. This results in the pushover curve, which describes the global behaviour of the model under an equivalent lateral load based on the fundamental mode shape of the structure. The pushover curve is then used with the N2-method described in EN1998-1 (2004) to assess at which peak ground acceleration (PGA) that the model reaches the near-collapse (NC) limit state. The second seismic assessment method consists of performing dynamic non-linear time-history analyses (NLTH). This method uses recorded accelerograms to impose the inertial forces. The PGA for the accelerogram where the near-collapse limit state is reached is compared to the PGA from the use of the N2-method. The applicability of the pushover analysis in conjunction with the N2-method is evaluated by how well it replicates the PGA found from the time-history analyses and by how well it replicates local failure mechanisms.  Therefore, the main objectives of this project can be described by the following two questions: i. To what extent can the equivalent frame method be applicable as a proper discretization method for pushover analyses and time-history analyses of low-rise unreinforced masonry residential buildings in the Groningen region? ii. To what extent can the non-linear pushover method be adopted to assess the seismic behaviour of low-rise unreinforced masonry residential buildings in the Groningen region? The applicability of the equivalent frame model showed to vary. For describing local failure mechanisms its applicability is poor. Further work on connecting the edge piers to transverse walls is needed. For seismic assessment using the N2-method the applicability of the equivalent frame model approach is sensible. The conservative displacement capacity counteracts the fact that it is worse at describing local unloading, which produced a larger initial equivalent stiffness of the bi-linear curves in comparison to the continuum model. For seismic assessment using the time-history signals, its applicability is possible. While it could show different behaviour in terms of displacement and damping forces, it still showed a similar PGA at the near-collapse limit state for the cases at hand. The seismic assessment of the terraced and detached houses by the N2-method is similar to the seismic prediction by applying time-history analyses. However, there are still some variations in the initial stiffness, force capacity and displacement capacity between these two assessment methods due to the assumptions and limitations in this study. Overall, considering the pros and cons of the quasi-static pushover method, it is deemed applicable during the seismic assessment of the unreinforced masonry structures in the Groningen area. / En stor mängd låga oarmerade murverksbyggnader finns i Groningen, Nederländerna. Allt fler jordbävningar med kort varaktighet har uppmätts i regionen pågrund utav gasproduktion. I området förekommer oarmerade murverksbyggnader som initialt inte var dimensionerade för jordbävningslaster, vilket har resulterat i oönskade skador samt osäkerhet för invånarna. Förekommande låga murverksbyggnader i Groningen kan fördelas i olika grupper beroende på deras egenskaper. Två typer av murverksbyggnader utformade som bostäder uppföljer kraven för att utföra olinjär jordbävningsanalys och har i detta projekt studerats. Typerna som studerats är radhus samt fristående hus. Jordbävningsnalys av byggnader kräver användningen av en diskretiseringsmetod samt en utvärderingsmetod. Diskretiseringsmetoden används för att översätta den mekaniska modellen till en finita elementmodell för numerisk analys. Flera metoder har tidigare visat sig vara applicerbara för utvärdering under jordbävningslaster, men det här projektet studerar konsekvensen från användningen av en kontinuumelement modell (CM) samt en ekvivalent rammodel (EFM) för diskretisering i det generella finita elementpaketet beskrivet i DIANA-FEA-BV (2017). Metoden som använts för att skapa kontinuumelement modeller vart i ett tidigare projekt av Schreppers et al. (2017) validerat mot experimentella resultat och anses därför  representera det fysiska beteendet hos de mekaniska modellerna. Ett förslag för hur ekvivalenta rammodeller ska uppföras i DIANA ges i arbetet av Nobel (2017). Metoden för en kontinuumelement modell använder en konstitutiv lag som utvecklats för utvärderingen av murverksbyggnader under jordbävningslaster. Denna konstitutiva modell fångar skjuv- samt böjbrottmekanismer. Metoden för en ekvivalent rammodell använder numeriskt integrerade balkelement samt nodelement, där båda elementtyper använder en distinkt konstitutiv modell vilket gör att skjuv- samt böjbeteende hanteras individuellt. Den här metoden har som mål att fånga makro-beteendet av elementen. Applicerbarheten av den föreslagna metoden för ekvivalenta rammodeller är utvärderat via hur väl den replikerar resultaten från en kontinuumelement modell. De två diskretiseringsmetoderna jämförs via två metoder för utvärdering under jordbävningslaster. Den första utvärderingsmetoden består av att först utföra en kvasi-statisk olinjär stjälpningsanalys (NLPO) på modellen. Detta leder till stjälpningskurvan, vilket beskriver den globala responsen av modellen under en ekvivalent horisontal last som baserats på första fundamentala moden av bärverket. Stjälpningkurvan används sedan med N2-metoden som beskrivs i EN1998-1 (2004) för att utvärdera vid vilken maximal markacceleration (PGA) som modellen når nära-kollapsgränstilsståndet (NC). Den andra utvärderingsmetoden består av att utföra dynamiska samt olinjära tids-historikanalyser (NLTH). För att göra detta så används accelerogram för att applicera den dynamiska lasten. Den maximala markaccelerationen för signalen där tids-historikanalysen når nära-kollapsgränstilsståndet är jämfört mot den maximala markaccelerationen som fås när N2-metoden används. Applicerbarheten för stjälpningsanalysen tillsammans med N2-metoden utvärderas via hur väl den replikerar resultatet av den maximala markaccelerationen som erhållsfrån tids-historikanalyserna, samt via hur väl metoden replikerar lokala brottmoder. Baserat på detta så kan målen med detta project sammanfattas via dessa två frågeställningar: i. Till vilken grad kan den föreslagna metoden för ekvivalenta rammodeller användas för utvärdering under jordbävningslaster när stälpningsanalyser, samt tids-historikanalyser, utförs på låga och oarmerade murverksbyggnader utformade som bostadsrätter i Groningen? ii. Till vilken grad kan olinjär stjälpningsanalys användas för utvärdering under jordbävningslaster på låga och oarmerade murverksbyggnader utformade som bostadsrätter i Groningen? Applicerbarheten av metoden för ekvivalenta rammodeller visade sig variera. För att beskriva lokala brottmoder så är applicerbarheten låg. Fortsatt arbete som undersöker hur pelarelementen ska kopplas mot de tvärgående väggarna bör utföras. För utvärdering via användandet av N2-metoden så visade det sig att applicerbarheten är rimlig. Den konservativa deformationskapaciteten motverkar det faktum att metoden för ekvivalenta rammodeller är sämre på att påvisa lokal avlastning, vilket i sin tur resulterade i en större ekvivalent initial styvhet för de bi-linjära kurvorna i jämförelse mot metoden för kontinuumelement modeller. För utvärdering när tids-historikanalyser användes så visade applicerbarheten vara rimlig. Samtidigt som det kunde uppstå skillnader i beteende när det kom till deformation samt dämpning, så visade det sig att metoderna fortfarande uppvisade en liknande maximal markacceleration vid nära-kollapsgränstilsståndet för bärverken i fråga. Utvärderingen under jordbävningslast för modellerna när N2-metoden användes visade liknande resultat som när tids-historikanalyserna utfördes. Det förekom dock skillnader i den initiala styvheten, i skjuvkraftskapaciteten och i deformationskapciteten mellan utvärderingsmetoderna från gjorda antaganden samt begränsningar hos arbetet. Som en slutsats när för- samt nackdelar värderas så visade det sig att stjälpningsmetoden är en rimlig utvärderinsgmetod för oarmerade murverksbyggnader i Groningen.