Earthquake engineering
Research topics:
- Seismic design principles and hazard analyses, risk-based load assumptions, deconvolution calculations (site response analysis), spectrum-compatible artificial earthquake time histories
- Innovative methods for designing and upgrading for earthquakes (structural engineering and plant engineering)
- Seismic base isolation: concepts and bearings
- Anti-seismic devices (dampers, bearings, active and passive systems, etc.)
- Dynamic soil-structure interaction (SSI), pile foundations with pile-soil-pile interaction
- Experimental investigations (dynamic component tests, shaking table tests, plant engineering)
The new European earthquake hazard assessment SHARE and its impact on Germany (Bachelor thesis by Anna Zwirner)
The main objective of SHARE is to develop a sustainable, effective and community-based hazard model that draws from a wide range of experts. In terms of technical development and advancing knowledge, a comparison of the current standard with SHARE is essential.
Fundamentally, it should be noted that SHARE provides significantly higher hazard potentials for each seismic zone of Eurocode 8 compared to DIN EN 1998-1.
SHARE predicts hazards for Germany, the extent of which was previously unknown and which require a new definition of earthquake risk for Germany. If the results of SHARE find their way into the standard, this could have considerable consequences for Germany.
Pushover analysis (student research project by Daniel Boje)
The pushover analysis does not work with complex dynamic actions, but substitutes them with equivalent static horizontal loads. These are continuously increased and simulate a deflection of the building until it fails. The resulting outcomes allow an assessment of the performance of a structure against an earthquake load.
Investigation of different dynamic time history calculation methods with Sofistik (student research project by Stephan Haugwitz)
With the help of Sofistik, internal forces, accelerations and displacements can be calculated from a dynamic action. In addition, the output of eigenvalues and the setting of different dampings is possible. The results can be displayed in the Result Viewer and in WinGraf.
If you are interested in one of these projects or papers, please contact the secretariat of the Fachgebiet Statik und Dynamik der Tragwerke.