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EARTHQUAKE RESPONSE ANALYSIS OF BUILDINGS LOCATED IN SEISMIC AREAS

Alexandru Bănescu, Sbarcea Georgescu, E. Rusu

Abstract

Earthquakes are violent movements of the Earth?s surface resulting from a sudden release of energy in the Earth's lithosphere that creates seismic waves. The movements are characterized by rapid variations of direction, speed and acceleration. The present paper analyzes the response of the structures and the behavior of buildings during high-intensity earthquakes. The target areas of the study are Galati and Suceava municipalities, located in Romania, at varying distances from the seismic hotspot situated in the Curvature Carpathians area, Vrancea County. Earthquakes with the epicenter in Vrancea Seismic Zone manifest themselves over large areas throughout Romania, at high intensities. These earthquakes are generated by the subduction phenomenon, as the Scythian Platform subducts under the Carpathian Orogen. In order to determine the structural response and the way how the buildings subjected to seismic action behave, a program for automated structural calculation was used. The study comprises the earthquake response simulation of a reinforced concrete frame building structure, placed in the two target settlements, with different ground acceleration values. The seismic simulations showcase the structure in 2 different vibration modes with displacements on each level. The results support informed design of civil, industrial and agricultural constructions and proper dimensioning of structural elements, according to the desired features. Dynamic actions generate forces of inertia that influence the expression of the dynamic equilibrium conditions in addition to the directly applied forces and reactions. It can be emphasized that the response of a structure to the dynamic actions depends on the actual loads, the resistance capacity, the size and the distribution of masses within the structure.

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DOI resolver: doi.org/10.5593/sgem2020/1.1/s02.061

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