Detailed FEM Analysis Considering the Excitation History for Full Scale Shaking Table Test Applying Multiple Times Seismic Excitations

Recently, there have been some researches on analysis using finely-meshed FEM model to understand in detail the behaviors of buildings during severe earthquakes. The accuracy of such an analysis is often validated by comparing the analytical results with the corresponding full-scale shaking table test results. While they are highly successful in the accuracy, few take account of the sequence effect of multiple series of excitations, in the other words, the effect of inherent structural damage caused by prior excitations. In this paper, as a first step toward a design considering fore/aftershocks, numerical analysis using finely-meshed FEM model is conducted for a steel structure subjected to multiple series of excitations in a full-scale shaking table test. The FE model structure is modeled with planar and solid finite elements. It is shown that, by taking account of the history of input excitations and caused damages, the actual behaviors can be simulated by analysis with much higher accuracy.