Nesta pesquisa de doutorado foi desenvolvida uma metodologia de análise e interpretação de dados GPR (Ground Penetrating Radar) empregando a tomografia de micro-ondas. Esta ferramenta foi empregada com o objetivo de detectar e estimar a geometria de alvos que simulam artefatos comumente encontrados em sítios arqueológicos brasileiros e de um alvo orgânico que simula um corpo humano em decomposição visando estudos forenses sob condições controladas. Os dados de interesse arqueológico foram adquiridos sobre o Sítio Controlado de Geofísica Rasa (SCGR) do IAG/USP. Os dados de interesse forense foram adquiridos sobre um experimento controlado conduzido no campus da USP em Pirassununga (SP), onde um porco de aproximadamente 80 kg foi enterrado e a sua decomposição foi monitorada com o método GPR ao longo de 18 meses. Os cálculos necessários para a execução da inversão dos dados GPR através da tomografia foram implementados em linguagem Matlab, juntamente com ferramentas de remoção de background que se mostraram úteis para auxiliar a interpretação dos resultados. O programa de imageamento tomográfico foi validado a partir de dados sintéticos gerados no software GprMax a partir de modelos que simulam os alvos de interesse arqueológico instalados no SCGR. A geometria dos alvos do SCGR pôde ser bem estimada, exceto pelo alvo representado pelo muro de tijolos. Feições no solo associadas às escavações para instalação dos alvos puderam ser observadas com clareza nas imagens tomográficas. A geometria do porco, bem como o processo de decomposição foram mapeados através da tomografia mesmo em condições de baixo contraste entre as suas propriedades elétricas e as do solo. Em ambos os casos estudados as imagens tomográficas de dados GPR de 270 MHz, 400 MHz e 900 MHz permitiram extrair mais informações acerca dos alvos do que pelo uso do processamento convencional. Os resultados mostram que a tomografia de micro-ondas possui um grande potencial para aplicação em sítios arqueológicos brasileiros, bem como para aplicações forenses. / In this research a methodology for analysis and interpretation of GPR (Ground Penetrating Radar) data using microwave tomography was developed. This tool was used for detection and geometry evaluation of targets which simulate artifacts usually found at Brazilian archaeological sites and also of one organic target which simulates a decomposing human body for forensic studies under controlled conditions. The data of archaeological interest were acquired on the Geophysical Test Site (SCGR) at IAG/USP. The data of forensic interest were acquired on an experiment developed at the USP campus in Pirassununga (SP) city. In this experiment a pig with about 80 kg was buried and its decomposition was monitored through GPR profiles during 18 months. The calculations required for the GPR data inversion through microwave tomography were implemented in Matlab language, with background removal tools which were helpful for the interpretation of resulting images. The tomographic imaging program was validated using synthetic data generated by the software GprMax. The models simulate targets of archaeological interest buried at the SCGR. The geometry was well estimated for all the targets, except for the brick wall. Ground features associated to excavations done for the installation of the targets were clearly observed in the tomographic images. The pig geometry and its decomposition process were mapped through microwave tomography even under conditions of low contrast between its electric properties and those from the soil. In both studied cases the tomographic images from GPR data of 270 MHz, 400 MHz and 900 MHz allowed to extract more information about the targets than just using the conventional processing. The results show that microwave tomography has a great potential to be applied at Brazilian archaeological sites, as well as for forensic applications.

Nesta pesquisa de doutorado foi desenvolvida uma metodologia de análise e interpretação de dados GPR (Ground Penetrating Radar) empregando a tomografia de micro-ondas. Esta ferramenta foi empregada com o objetivo de detectar e estimar a geometria de alvos que simulam artefatos comumente encontrados em sítios arqueológicos brasileiros e de um alvo orgânico que simula um corpo humano em decomposição visando estudos forenses sob condições controladas. Os dados de interesse arqueológico foram adquiridos sobre o Sítio Controlado de Geofísica Rasa (SCGR) do IAG/USP. Os dados de interesse forense foram adquiridos sobre um experimento controlado conduzido no campus da USP em Pirassununga (SP), onde um porco de aproximadamente 80 kg foi enterrado e a sua decomposição foi monitorada com o método GPR ao longo de 18 meses. Os cálculos necessários para a execução da inversão dos dados GPR através da tomografia foram implementados em linguagem Matlab, juntamente com ferramentas de remoção de background que se mostraram úteis para auxiliar a interpretação dos resultados. O programa de imageamento tomográfico foi validado a partir de dados sintéticos gerados no software GprMax a partir de modelos que simulam os alvos de interesse arqueológico instalados no SCGR. A geometria dos alvos do SCGR pôde ser bem estimada, exceto pelo alvo representado pelo muro de tijolos. Feições no solo associadas às escavações para instalação dos alvos puderam ser observadas com clareza nas imagens tomográficas. A geometria do porco, bem como o processo de decomposição foram mapeados através da tomografia mesmo em condições de baixo contraste entre as suas propriedades elétricas e as do solo. Em ambos os casos estudados as imagens tomográficas de dados GPR de 270 MHz, 400 MHz e 900 MHz permitiram extrair mais informações acerca dos alvos do que pelo uso do processamento convencional. Os resultados mostram que a tomografia de micro-ondas possui um grande potencial para aplicação em sítios arqueológicos brasileiros, bem como para aplicações forenses. / In this research a methodology for analysis and interpretation of GPR (Ground Penetrating Radar) data using microwave tomography was developed. This tool was used for detection and geometry evaluation of targets which simulate artifacts usually found at Brazilian archaeological sites and also of one organic target which simulates a decomposing human body for forensic studies under controlled conditions. The data of archaeological interest were acquired on the Geophysical Test Site (SCGR) at IAG/USP. The data of forensic interest were acquired on an experiment developed at the USP campus in Pirassununga (SP) city. In this experiment a pig with about 80 kg was buried and its decomposition was monitored through GPR profiles during 18 months. The calculations required for the GPR data inversion through microwave tomography were implemented in Matlab language, with background removal tools which were helpful for the interpretation of resulting images. The tomographic imaging program was validated using synthetic data generated by the software GprMax. The models simulate targets of archaeological interest buried at the SCGR. The geometry was well estimated for all the targets, except for the brick wall. Ground features associated to excavations done for the installation of the targets were clearly observed in the tomographic images. The pig geometry and its decomposition process were mapped through microwave tomography even under conditions of low contrast between its electric properties and those from the soil. In both studied cases the tomographic images from GPR data of 270 MHz, 400 MHz and 900 MHz allowed to extract more information about the targets than just using the conventional processing. The results show that microwave tomography has a great potential to be applied at Brazilian archaeological sites, as well as for forensic applications.

A qualidade do ambiente das áreas destinadas às florestas é afetada pelos problemas de compactação do solo devido a causas naturais e induzidas pelo tráfego de veículos. O objetivo deste trabalho foi definir as prioridades do preparo mecanizado do solo a partir das exigências das mudas de Eucalyptus spp. A execução do trabalho foi realizada entre dezembro de 2000 a maio de 2001, na Companhia Suzano de Papel e Celulose, município de São Miguel Arcanjo (S.P). O método utilizado teve duas fases: Planejamento da Qualidade, e Avaliação da Qualidade. A primeira fase, consistiu em sistematizar o conceito emitido, por uma equipe especializada na produção florestal, sobre a qualidade do preparo mecanizado do solo para mudas de Eucalyptus spp, utilizando-se do Desdobramento da Função Qualidade (QFD), e a segunda fase, Avaliação da Qualidade, consistiu em verificar as prioridades técnicas através de histograma e carta de controle. Os resultados evidenciaram que os itens da qualidade exigida não possuir limitações físicas, e sem restevas que limitem a mecanização tem respectivamente 19,4% e 15,0% de peso relativo. O requisito técnico profundidade do sulco de plantio relacionou-se fortemente com os itens da qualidade exigida, e apresentou 25,7% de peso relativo. Também, o indicador profundidade do sulco, correlacionou-se fortemente com a largura do sulco e com o tamanho dos torrões, cujos pesos relativos foram iguais a 26,4% e 23,0%. Os fatores operacionais do preparo mecanizado do solo, regulagens do sulcador/implemento e a distribuição da resteva superficial, apresentaram respectivamente 25,6% e 64,0% de pesos relativos, e os graus do custo econômico destes fatores foram respectivamente 1 e 5. As conclusões da pesquisa foram: os itens da qualidade exigida não possuir limitações físicas, e sem restevas que limitem a mecanização são prioritários para as mudas de Eucalyptus spp, sendo que a prioridade técnica foi a profundidade do sulco, tornando-se o indicador da qualidade do preparo mecanizado do solo, o qual será controlado através das regulagens do sulcador/implemento. Nas faixas de galhada, o controle da profundidade do sulco será determinado pela distribuição da resteva superficial. / The quality of the environment of areas destined to artificial forest is reduced by the problems of soil compactation due to natural causes and induced by the traffic of vehicles. The aim of this work was to define the priorities of the mechanized preparation of the soil based on the demands of the Eucalyptus spp seedlings. The work was done during December 2000 to May 2001 at Companhia Suzano de Papel e Celulose, S.P. The method used had two steps: planning of the quality and evaluation of the quality. The first stage consisted of systematizing the concepts about soil preparation emitted by a team of experts in forest production using the Quality Function Deployment (QFD). The second stage, evaluation of the quality, consisted in checking the technical priorities in an experimental area. The results were analized using statistical quality tools mainly histograms and control charts. The results showed that the itens of the demanded quality, not having the physical limitation and without residue that limit the mechanization, have 19.4% and 15.0% respectively of relative weight. The technical requirement, depth of the planting furrow, was strongly related with the itens of demanded quality and it represents 27.5% of relative weight. Also the indicator depth of furrow, was strongly conected with the furrow width and size of soil lumps which the relative weights were 26.4% and 23.0% respectively. The operational factors of soil mechanization, subsoiler adjust and the distribution of the superficial residue, showed respectively 25.6% and 64.0% of the relative weights and the degrees of economical cost of these factors were classified as 1 and 5. The conclusions of the work were: the itens of the demanded quality, not having the physical limitation and without residue that limit the mechanization, are priority for the plants of Eucalyptus; the technical requirement, depth of the planting furrow, becoming the indicator of quality of the soil preparation and it will be controlled through the subsoiler adjustment; in the strips of the wood debris the depth control will be determined by the distribution of the superficial residue.

A qualidade do ambiente das áreas destinadas às florestas é afetada pelos problemas de compactação do solo devido a causas naturais e induzidas pelo tráfego de veículos. O objetivo deste trabalho foi definir as prioridades do preparo mecanizado do solo a partir das exigências das mudas de Eucalyptus spp. A execução do trabalho foi realizada entre dezembro de 2000 a maio de 2001, na Companhia Suzano de Papel e Celulose, município de São Miguel Arcanjo (S.P). O método utilizado teve duas fases: Planejamento da Qualidade, e Avaliação da Qualidade. A primeira fase, consistiu em sistematizar o conceito emitido, por uma equipe especializada na produção florestal, sobre a qualidade do preparo mecanizado do solo para mudas de Eucalyptus spp, utilizando-se do Desdobramento da Função Qualidade (QFD), e a segunda fase, Avaliação da Qualidade, consistiu em verificar as prioridades técnicas através de histograma e carta de controle. Os resultados evidenciaram que os itens da qualidade exigida não possuir limitações físicas, e sem restevas que limitem a mecanização tem respectivamente 19,4% e 15,0% de peso relativo. O requisito técnico profundidade do sulco de plantio relacionou-se fortemente com os itens da qualidade exigida, e apresentou 25,7% de peso relativo. Também, o indicador profundidade do sulco, correlacionou-se fortemente com a largura do sulco e com o tamanho dos torrões, cujos pesos relativos foram iguais a 26,4% e 23,0%. Os fatores operacionais do preparo mecanizado do solo, regulagens do sulcador/implemento e a distribuição da resteva superficial, apresentaram respectivamente 25,6% e 64,0% de pesos relativos, e os graus do custo econômico destes fatores foram respectivamente 1 e 5. As conclusões da pesquisa foram: os itens da qualidade exigida não possuir limitações físicas, e sem restevas que limitem a mecanização são prioritários para as mudas de Eucalyptus spp, sendo que a prioridade técnica foi a profundidade do sulco, tornando-se o indicador da qualidade do preparo mecanizado do solo, o qual será controlado através das regulagens do sulcador/implemento. Nas faixas de galhada, o controle da profundidade do sulco será determinado pela distribuição da resteva superficial. / The quality of the environment of areas destined to artificial forest is reduced by the problems of soil compactation due to natural causes and induced by the traffic of vehicles. The aim of this work was to define the priorities of the mechanized preparation of the soil based on the demands of the Eucalyptus spp seedlings. The work was done during December 2000 to May 2001 at Companhia Suzano de Papel e Celulose, S.P. The method used had two steps: planning of the quality and evaluation of the quality. The first stage consisted of systematizing the concepts about soil preparation emitted by a team of experts in forest production using the Quality Function Deployment (QFD). The second stage, evaluation of the quality, consisted in checking the technical priorities in an experimental area. The results were analized using statistical quality tools mainly histograms and control charts. The results showed that the itens of the demanded quality, not having the physical limitation and without residue that limit the mechanization, have 19.4% and 15.0% respectively of relative weight. The technical requirement, depth of the planting furrow, was strongly related with the itens of demanded quality and it represents 27.5% of relative weight. Also the indicator depth of furrow, was strongly conected with the furrow width and size of soil lumps which the relative weights were 26.4% and 23.0% respectively. The operational factors of soil mechanization, subsoiler adjust and the distribution of the superficial residue, showed respectively 25.6% and 64.0% of the relative weights and the degrees of economical cost of these factors were classified as 1 and 5. The conclusions of the work were: the itens of the demanded quality, not having the physical limitation and without residue that limit the mechanization, are priority for the plants of Eucalyptus; the technical requirement, depth of the planting furrow, becoming the indicator of quality of the soil preparation and it will be controlled through the subsoiler adjustment; in the strips of the wood debris the depth control will be determined by the distribution of the superficial residue.

Submitted by Jorge Silva (jorgelmsilva@ufrrj.br) on 2018-05-18T17:57:14Z No. of bitstreams: 1 2016 - Marlene Salete Uberti.pdf: 4547445 bytes, checksum: 0815ad8e3c8b5cdf64206ec60d91619c (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-05-18T17:57:14Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 2016 - Marlene Salete Uberti.pdf: 4547445 bytes, checksum: 0815ad8e3c8b5cdf64206ec60d91619c (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-07-11 / Traditionally the Classical Linear Regression Models (CLRMs) have been used for mass appraisal of property bulk value, however, it has been noticed the need to take into account the data spatial variation. This modeling for the geographic effects has been used mainly in urban area appraisals, while farmland values are also affected by geographic location. The lack of methodologies for mass evaluation of farmland has led to tax evasion of farmland tax revenue (ITR), as it has been inefficiently and inexpressively collected since its enactment in 1964. The objective of this paper is to use econometrics models of spatial regression in farmland comparables to produce a map of standard ground value for the Northern Region of Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil. The proposed methodology includes the investigation and modeling the effects of spatial autocorrelation on the CLRMs, to evaluate their performance comparing them with the spatial models and to produce a map of standard ground value through ordinary Kriging and kernel estimator. The sample of comparables was comprised of 113 observations for model development and 25 observations for validation. To evaluate the performance of obtained maps of values were used the validation samples to calculate the Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) values and the metrics recommended by the International Association of Assessing Officers (IAAO). The results showed that the spatial autocorrelation can have its effect predicted by the Conditional AutoRegressive model (CAR) and by the Geographically Weighted Regression (GWR). By using the values predicted with the GWR model and the validation comparables, the Kernel estimator presented the best performance on map production, yielding the lowest RMSE and dispersion coefficients, median of ratios and Price Related Differential (PRD) close to IAAO recommended values. The combination of classical and spatial regression methodologies and the use of Geostatistics techniques showed to be suitable for obtaining maps of standard ground value for farmland areas. The proposed methodology has been show applicable to farmland sales market, as it can be used by municipalities to obtain representative models of real market values, as well as to produce farmland standard ground value maps. / Nas avalia??es em massa de im?veis tradicionalmente s?o utilizados os modelos cl?ssicos de regress?o linear (MCRL), entretanto tem-se verificado a necessidade de modelar os dados espacialmente. Esta modelagem dos efeitos espaciais vem sendo utilizada principalmente nas avalia??es de ?reas urbanas, sendo que os valores dos im?veis nas ?reas rurais tamb?m s?o afetados pela localiza??o geogr?fica. A inexist?ncia de metodologias de avalia??o em massa de im?veis rurais ? um dos motivos da evas?o da receita do imposto territorial rural (ITR), pois desde que foi criado em 1964, a arrecada??o deste imposto ? ineficiente e inexpressiva. O objetivo deste trabalho foi a utiliza??o de modelos econom?tricos de regress?o espacial na modelagem dos efeitos espaciais em uma amostra de im?veis rurais para a elabora??o da Planta de Valores Gen?ricos (PVG) em uma ?rea da Regi?o Norte Fluminense, estado do Rio de Janeiro. A proposta metodol?gica consistiu em investigar e modelar os efeitos causados pela autocorrela??o espacial sobre os MCRL, avaliar seus desempenhos comparando-os com os modelos espaciais e produzir a PVG por meio da Krigagem ordin?ria e do estimador Kernel. A amostra utilizada contou com 113 observa??es e 25 amostras de verifica??o. Para avaliar o desempenho das superf?cies de valores obtidas foram utilizadas as amostras de verifica??o e calculados os valores da Raiz Quadrada do Erro M?dio Quadr?tico (REMQ) e das m?tricas recomendadas pela International Association of Assessing Officers (IAAO). Os resultados mostraram que a autocorrela??o espacial pode ter seus efeitos reduzidos pelo Modelo do Erro Espacialmente Correlacionado (Conditional Auto Regressive - CAR) e pela Regress?o Geograficamente Ponderada (RGP). A superf?cie gerada pelo estimador Kernel, utilizando-se os valores preditos da amostra de verifica??o pelo modelo RGP foi a que obteve o melhor desempenho com menor REMQ e valores do coeficiente de dispers?o (COD), da mediana das raz?es e do Diferencial Relativo ao Pre?o (Price Related Differential - PRD) pr?ximos dos recomendados pela IAAO. A combina??o das metodologias da regress?o cl?ssica e espacial, e a utiliza??o de t?cnicas de Geoestat?stica se mostraram adequadas para a elabora??o e obten??o da PVG para ?reas rurais. A metodologia proposta se mostrou aplic?vel nos mercados de terras rurais, pois pode ser utilizada pelos munic?pios para obter modelos representativos da realidade destes mercados, bem como para elaborar a PVG das ?reas rurais.

In this study we sought to determine whether infants, like adults, utilize previous experience to guide figure/ground processing. After familiarization to a shape, 5-month-olds preferentially attended to the side of an ambiguous figure/ground test stimulus corresponding to that shape, suggesting that they were viewing that portion as the figure. Infants’ failure to exhibit this preference in a control condition in which both sides of the test stimulus were displayed as figures indicated that the results in the experimental condition were not due to a preference between two figure shapes. These findings demonstrate for the first time that figure/ground processing in infancy is sensitive to top-down influence. Thus, a critical aspect of figure/ground processing is functional early in life.

Vertical design spectra may be developed in a probabilistic seismic hazard assessment (PSHA) by computing the hazard using vertical ground motion prediction equations (GMPEs), or using a vertical-to-horizontal spectral acceleration (V/H) ratio GMPEs to scale the horizontal spectrum that was developed using the results of horizontal component PSHA. The objective of this study is to provide GMPEs that are compatible with regional ground motion characteristics to perform both alternatives. GMPEs for the V/H ratio were developed recently by G&uuml / lerce and Abrahamson (2011) using NGA-W1 database. A strong motion dataset consistent with the V/H ratio model parameters is developed by including strong motion data from earthquakes occurred in Turkey with at least three recordings per earthquake. The compatibility of GA2011 V/H ratio model with the magnitude, distance, and site amplification scaling of Turkish ground motion dataset is evaluated by using inter-event and intra-event residual plots and necessary coefficients of the model is adjusted to reflect the regional characteristics. Analysis of the model performance in the recent moderate-tolarge magnitude earthquakes occurred in Turkey shows that the Turkey-Adjusted GA2011 model is a suitable candidate V/H ratio model for PSHA studies conducted in Turkey. Using the same dataset, a preliminary vertical ground motion prediction equation for Turkey consistent with the preliminary vertical model based on NGA-W1 dataset is developed. Proposed preliminary model is applicable to magnitudes 5-8.5, distances 0-200 km, and spectral periods of 0-10 seconds and offers an up-to-date alternative to the regional vertical GMPEs proposed by Kalkan and G&uuml / lkan (2004).

Terremotos recientes han demostrado la gran vulnerabilidad de algunos puentes ante movimiento fuerte. Los de tipo atirantado constituyen una tipología estructural muy atractiva, y que actualmente es empleada para muchos fines prácticos, por lo que es necesaria su protección sísmica. Entre las actuales estrategias de protección, el uso de dispositivos pasivos es la más robusta, económica y apropiada opción para mejorar el desempeño sísmico de estructuras, de entre los que destacan los sistemas de disipación de energía adicional como una buena alternativa. Debido a sus capacidades, fácil recambio y mantención, así como su buen comportamiento mecánico, los amortiguadores de fluidos viscosos son un excelente sistema de disipación de energía para proteger grandes estructuras contra eventos sísmicos intensos. Es por ello que el análisis, evaluación y comparación de la respuesta sísmica no lineal de puentes atirantados de hormigón, con y sin la incorporación de amortiguamiento viscoso suplementario, con el propósito de investigar su efectividad ante eventos sísmicos, es el principal objetivo de esta investigación aplicada. Para alcanzar lo antes expuesto, se definieron previamente ocho modelos teóricos de puentes atirantados basados en los internacionalmente conocidos puentes de Walter [Walter, 1999], considerando variaciones del esquema de atirantamiento, nivel del tablero, tipo de tablero y espaciamiento de los cables. Como punto de partida para el análisis dinámico no lineal, se realizó un análisis estático no lineal para todos los casos. Luego, se llevó a cabo una caracterización dinámica de los puentes mediante un análisis modal. Como primera aproximación a la respuesta sísmica de los modelos, se ejecutó un análisis mediante espectros de respuesta para cada caso, con el propósito de comparar el comportamiento sísmico en función de las principales variaciones consideradas, y para seleccionar los dos modelos más representativos para ser analizados usando análisis no lineal paso-a-paso. En seguida, se analizaron las estructuras elegidas en el paso previo mediante uso de análisis temporal no lineal por integración directa, sin la consideración de amortiguamiento viscoso suplementario, y tomando en cuenta sismos de campo lejano y campo cercano. En este sentido, se aplicaron cinco eventos sísmicos artificiales para el análisis de campo lejano, y cinco eventos reales que incorporasen pulsos de velocidad de período largo para el análisis de campo cercano, según el Capítulo 3. Finalmente, el análisis de la ubicación óptima de los amortiguadores, un estudio paramétrico tendiente a seleccionar los parámetros óptimos de los mismos, y el análisis paso-a-paso no lineal considerando los amortiguadores viscosos definitivos, fueron investigados con la idea de comparar las respuestas en función de la naturaleza del evento sísmico y el tipo de atirantamiento de los cables, considerando los mismos eventos sísmicos antes expuestos. Los resultados de la investigación muestran que la aplicación de amortiguamiento viscoso suplementario es una eficiente estrategia para incrementar el amortiguamiento de una estructura, absorbiendo una gran cantidad de la energía de entrada, y controlando la respuesta de estructuras de período largo, sobre todo en la dirección longitudinal, en donde se manifiestan las mayores respuestas. Más de un 55% de la energía de entrada puede ser disipada usando éstos dispositivos, los cuales resultan ser igualmente efectivos para sismos de campo lejano y campo cercano, con independencia del esquema de atirantamiento empleado, por lo que constituyen una excelente estrategia de protección pasiva. Debido a la gran no linealidad de éstas estructuras, el método del espectro de respuesta debe ser considerado sólo como primera aproximación al problema, y para propósitos comparativos. Para resultados más precisos, y para aplicaciones de diseño, el análisis no lineal paso-a-paso es siempre la mejor opción. Por otro lado, ésta investigación prueba el despreciable efecto del esquema de atirantamiento en la respuesta sísmica, así como el importante aumento de la respuesta cuando son tomados en cuenta los efectos tipo pulso de la directividad de la falla, característicos de sismos de fuente cercana. / Recent seismic events have demonstrated the vulnerability of some bridges under strong ground motions. Cable-stayed bridges are an attractive bridge typology currently used for many practical purposes, constituting important structural systems to be protected against earthquakes. Amongst the current seismic protection strategies, the use of passive devices is the most robust, economic and well-suited option to improve the seismic performance of structures, in which additional energy dissipation systems is good choice. Because of their capacities, easy replacement and maintenance, as well as their interesting mechanical properties, fluid viscous dampers could be an excellent additional energy dissipation system to protect large structural systems against strong earthquakes. For that reason, the analysis, assessment and comparison of the nonlinear seismic response of concrete cable-stayed bridges, with and without the incorporation of nonlinear fluid viscous dampers in order to investigate their effectiveness for seismic protection purposes, is the main objective of this applied research. To reach the proposed objectives, firstly, eight theoretical cable-stayed bridge models based on the well-known Walter's Bridges [Walter, 1999] were defined; considering variations of the stay cable layout, deck level, deck type and stay spacing. As a starting point of the nonlinear dynamic analysis, a nonlinear static analysis was performed for all the cases. After that, the dynamic characterization of the models was carried out by means of a modal analysis. As a first approach of the seismic response of the bridges, response spectrum analysis was performed in order to compare the seismic behaviour as function of the main variations considered, and to select the two most representative bridges to be analyzed using nonlinear time history analysis. The following stage was the seismic analysis of the selected bridge models from the previous step, applying nonlinear direct integration time history analysis, without additional energy dissipation devices, and considering both far-fault and near-fault ground motions. In these sense, five artificially generated earthquake events were considered for the far-fault analysis, as long as five real earthquake events containing long-period velocity pulses were included for the near-fault analysis, according to Chapter 3. Finally, the analysis of the optimal layout of the dampers, a parametric study to select the optimal damper parameters and the nonlinear step-by-step analysis considering the incorporation of the definitive fluid viscous dampers were investigated in order to compare the seismic responses as a function of the earthquake nature and stay cable layout, taking into account the same earthquake events before mentioned. Results of this investigation show that application of fluid viscous dampers as additional passive energy dissipation systems is a very efficient strategy to increase the damping of a structure, absorbing a significant amount of the seismic input energy, and controlling the seismic response of long-period structures, mainly in the longitudinal direction, where the main responses occur. More than 55% of the input energy can be dissipated with these devices, being equally efficient for far-fault and near-fault ground motions, independent on the stay cable layout, which constitutes a very promising strategy to protect cable-stayed bridges against earthquakes. Because of the highly nonlinear behaviour of those structures, response spectrum analysis must be considered only as first approach to the seismic response and for comparative purposes. For more accurate analysis results, and for design applications, nonlinear time-history analysis is a necessary choice. Likewise, it is demonstrated that the effect of the stay cable layout on the nonlinear seismic response of the bridges is not very important, as well as an important increase of the seismic response when forward rupture directivity pulse effects are considered, a characteristic of near-source ground motions.

Maximum interstory drift and the distribution of this drift along the height of the structure are the main causes of structural and nonstructural damage in frame type buildings subjected to earthquake ground motions. Estimation of maximum interstory drift ratio is a good measure of the local response of buildings. Recent earthquakes have revealed the susceptibility of the existing building stock to near-fault ground motions characterized by a large, long-duration velocity pulse. In order to find rational solutions for the destructive effects of near fault ground motions, it is necessary to determine drift demands of buildings. Practical, applicable and accurate methods that define the system behavior by means of some key parameters are needed to assess the building performances quickly instead of detailed modeling and calculations. In this study, simple equations are proposed in order for the determination of the elastic interstory drift demand produced by near fault ground motions on regular and irregular steel frame structures. The proposed equations enable the prediction of maximum elastic ground story drift ratio of shear frames and the maximum elastic ground story drift ratio and maximum elastic interstory drift ratio of steel moment resisting frames. In addition, the effects of beam to column stiffness ratio, soft story factor, stiffness distribution coefficient, beam-to-column capacity ratio, seismic force reduction factor, ratio of pulse period to fundamental period, regular story height and number of stories on elastic and inelastic interstory drift demands are investigated in detail. An equation for the ratio of maximum inelastic interstory drift ratio to maximum elastic interstory drift ratio developed for a representative case is also presented.

The prediction of moisture and contaminant transport through unsaturated soil to ground water is becoming increasingly important in the fields of hydrology, agriculture and environmental engineering. Computer aided simulation techniques enables one to conduct a series of systematic numerical experiments to analyze flow phenomenon in subsurface hydrology under various physical and chemical processes. The flow movement depends upon medium characteristics, initial and boundary conditions, which reflect, physical processes occurring below the ground. To understand the effects of physical process an efficient and accurate model is needed. Thus the model developed must be able to handle varied initial and boundary conditions. In this regard, infiltration into a very dry soil becomes a very important problem of study. Most of the earlier numerical models developed are concentrated on the development of an efficient algorithm or the modelling of a particular process which govern the flow in unsaturated or saturated-unsaturated homogeneous medium. Not much work has been done on the analysis of variably saturated flow in layered soil medium. Models to simulate unsaturated flow through dry soils, especially through layered soils with varied boundary conditions are very limited. Further, not much studies have been reported in the literature on the prediction of seepage face development and the phreatic surface movement in variably saturated media with layering. These aspects are very important in determining the flow field and the discharge from the domain. A detailed literature review covering above aspects has been made and is reported in this thesis. In the present work, two dimensional numerical models to predict the movement of wetting front in unsaturated domain and the movement of the phreatic surface in homogeneous and layered porous media under various initial and boundary conditions are developed based on finite difference and finite volume techniques. These models can handle flow in both rectangular flow domains and radial flow domains. The initial condition settings include the handling of very dry soil medium without any transformation of the governing equation, handling of infiltration and constant head conditions at the boundaries under steady state as well as transient scenarios. The models are also able to handle various soil moisture characteristics which depict the nonlinear behaviour between hydraulic conductivity, moisture content and pressure head in a soil media. A mixed form of the governing partial differential equation is used in the present study as it leads to better mass conservation. The finite difference model uses a central difference approximation for the space derivatives and an Eulerian backward difference approximation for the time derivative. The fully implicit formulation is solved iteratively using Strongly Implicit Procedure after making Picard approximation for the highly nonlinear coefficients. The process of infiltration into an initially dry soil leads to the development of a steep wetting front. As the finite volume technique is naturally an upwind method, it is expected to play a positive role in modelling such processes accurately. Hence, a finite volume model is also developed by approximating the convective part using a MUSCL approach and a fully implicit central difference method for the diffusive part of the governing equation. The models developed are validated using both experimental data and numerical solutions for problems reported in the literature. The validation problems cover a wide range of physical scenarios such as: infiltration into a very dry soil, infiltration into a dry soil column with gravity drainage, development of water table mound, steady state drainage in a sand filled wedge shaped tank with seepage face development and transient seepage face development in a rectangular domain. Five test problems are used for the validation of the models. The developed models perform very well for the test problems considered, indicating the models' capability in handling such situations. The results obtained by using the present models for simulating flow through highly unsaturated (very dry) soils show that the models perform very well when compared with models which use transformation techniques to handle such problems. The performance of the present models in comparison with the experimental data and numerical models available in the literature show the suitability of the present models in handling such situations. The present models are also used to analyse various types of unsaturated flow problems with varying initial and boundary conditions. The boundary conditions considered are no flow and /or free flow conditions along the left, right and bottom boundaries with infiltration condition along a part of the top boundary. For the various cases considered in the present study, infiltration rate varies from 5 cm/day to 50cm/day through an initially very dry soil of -15000 cm pressure head in homogeneous and layered soils. Different types of soil media considered vary from sandy loam, loam and clay with horizontal and vertical layering of these soils. A total number of 14 cases are analysed. The results are discussed in terms of pressure head variation in the flow domain along with moisture redistribution for all the cases under consideration. It is observed from these studies that the infiltration rate play an important role on the wetting front movement through layered soils depending on the type of layering and the boundary conditions considered. The soil properties of various layers affect the movement of wetting front by changing the direction of movement. Even though the wetting front movement is predominantly vertical, there is a tendency for the wetting front to move in the horizontal direction as it moves from a coarse soil to fine soil. It is also observed that the vertical layering of soils with different hydraulic conductivity helps in redirecting the flow towards the bottom boundary through the neighboring coarser layers. As finite volume method is more suitable for simulating sharp fronts, it is expected to perform better than finite difference method for simulating infiltration into very dry soils. So, a comparison is made between the performance of these two models by using the above test problems. It is observed from these studies that the performance of both the models are same except that the finite volume method takes much more CPU time than the finite difference model. Considering the type of problems tested, it is observed that for modelling unsaturated and saturated-unsaturated flows, finite difference method is better in comparison to finite volume method. It may be due to the predominant diffusive characteristics of the governing equation even while modelling flow through very dry soils. Proper estimation of the seepage height is an important aspect in finding the discharge through the porous medium. It is observed from the literature that the use of a saturated flow model in such situations can lead to an underestimation of the discharge through the porous medium. This effect is more important when dealing with small dimension problems. It is also observed that various parameters which govern the moisture movement through saturated-unsaturated regions affect proper estimation of the seepage face height and there by discharge. Various factors like effect of boundary conditions, type of soil layering, problem dimension and aspect ratio on seepage face development and the associated phreatic surface formation is studied in the present work. It is seen from the present study that the seepage face development is more in rectangular flow domain than in radial flow domain for both homogeneous and layered soils. It is also seen that the seepage face development in rectangular problems are more sensitive than radial flow problems for various factors considered. The seepage height is also influenced by the tail water level. It is seen from the present study that as the tail water level increases the seepage face reduces with no seepage face development for some of the cases studied. This influence is relatively less for radial flow problems. As the length of the domain increases the seepage height decreases. It is seen that for different cases with same horizontal dimension, as the height of the domain increases the seepage face height also increases. This phenomenon is observed for both homogeneous and layered soil medium. The influence of the aspect ratio, which is the ratio of the length to height of the domain indicate that as the aspect ratio increases the seepage height decreases. The type of the soil layering is observed to have a very strong influence on the seepage face development. The study for understanding the effect of soil layering on the development of seepage face and phreatic surface suggest that as the coarseness of the material increases, the phreatic surface become flatter and its steepness increases with the fineness of the soil. The present model is also used for studying the transient phreatic surface movement and the seepage face development. This is studied for homogeneous and layered rectangular soil medium. The present study is used to understand the effect of specific storage on the phreatic surface movement and the seepage face development. The studies indicate that the influence of specific storage on the seepage face development is insignificant in homogeneous soils with only very little effect in the early time for longer domains. It is also observed that the influence of the specific storage is significant in the case of layered soils. This effect depends on the type of layering and the problem dimension and is observed to have influence for relatively longer period. This observation suggests the importance of specific storage on transient seepage face development. When the specific storage effect is considered the drainage of the soil become faster resulting in a faster decline of the phreatic surface with time. The influence of specific storage is also studied considering the problem dimension effect. It is seen that as the aspect ratio increases, the effect of specific storage on the phreatic surface development decreases. The studies with change in the upstream boundary condition from a constant head to a no flow condition indicate that the effect of specific storage has no significant influence on the phreatic surface development for both homogeneous and layered soils.