Initial Transient Behavior of a Tall-Building-Model Due to a Strong Near-Source Earthquake

Initial transient behavior of a tall-building-model due to a strong near-source earthquake has been studied based on the numerical simulation using the code MSC. Dytran. It was found that stresses occurred in the initial transient stage exceeded the yield stress of material in many columns, in the case of elastic-plastic building model, and that those exceeded the tensile strength of material in many columns, in the case of elastic building model. Through discussing on the dynamic properties of the structural material with the rate dependency of strain hardening rate of the material, the possibility to be occurred the brittle fracture of column even at strain rate in the range of 0.1∼1 s-1 was pointed out. These results show very possibility that a high stress sufficient to lead the initiation of damage such as local fracture and crack can be reached in some parts of the tall-building-model due to a strong near-source earthquake.