Seismic anisotropy is an efficient way to investigate the deformation field within the upper mantle. In the framework of rigid tectonic plates, we make use of recent tomographic models of azimuthal anisotropy for deriving the best rotation pole of the Pacific plate in the uppermost 200km of the mantle. It is found to be in good agreement with current plate motion (NUVEL1, HS3 and NNR). However,...

This paper reports on the damage of Wushi bridge in a recent Taiwan 921 earthquake. Damage to Wushi bridge appeared in the superstructure, the substructure and the approaches. Typical types of damage are discussed and illustrated in this paper. A review of the bridge design specifications in Taiwan is also presented to give the background on the seismic design of Taiwan highway bridges.

Pletser et al. performed a seismic-refraction survey on Devon Island with the goal of assessing the feasibility of astronauts carrying out such operations on Mars to detect subsurface water. We demonstrate that the seismic analysis is fundamentally flawed. The survey performed in this test will likely bear little resemblance to future crewed geophysical surface operations, and better methods ex...

In recent years, destructive earthquakes have shown the deficiencies of the existing buildings. One of the most effective mechanisms for dissipating the earthquake energy is inelastic deformation of the steel components. The objective of this research is to study the application of metallic dampers for dissipation of the earthquake energy and to investigate the behavior of concrete structures i...

The period of vibration is a fundamental parameter in the force-based design of structures as this parameter defines the spectral acceleration and thus the base shear force to which the building should be designed. This paper takes a critical look at the way in which seismic design codes around the world have allowed the designer to estimate the period of vibration for use in both linear static...

A large part of the European building stock was built before implementing recent energy and structural codes, resulting in buildings characterized by deficiencies terms comfort, savings safety. The retrofitting rehabilitation existing need to be adequately performed, aiming improve seismic performance simultaneously. work summarized here is dedicated defining priority scenarios for buildings’ s...

Masonry structures are complex systems that require a thorough and detailed knowledge and information regarding their behaviour under seismic excitations. Appropriate modelling of a masonry structure is a prerequisite for a reliable earthquake resistant design or assessment. However, modelling a real structure to a robust quantitative (mathematical) representation is a very difficult, complex a...

We discuss three approaches to seismic interferometry and compare their underlying assumptions. In the first approach the reflection response is reconstructed by cross-correlating the responses of many uncorrelated noise sources. In the second approach a depth image is obtained from the response of a single source, recorded by many receivers. In the third approach the Green’s function is recons...

In recent years, destructive earthquakes have shown the deficiencies of the existing buildings. One of the most effective mechanisms for dissipating the earthquake energy is inelastic deformation of the steel components. The objective of this research is to study the application of metallic dampers for dissipation of the earthquake energy and to investigate the behavior of concrete structures i...