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The article presents a study which assessed the seismic performance of plate-shell integrated concrete liquid-storage structures (PSICLSS) using a scale test model for shaking table testing. The dynamic responses of the PSICLSS under unidirectional and bidirectional earthquakes were tested. Among the data collected are the hydrodynamic pressure, liquid sloshing height, and residual displacement of the PSICLSS.

The National Research Council of Canada (NRC) has recently developed a Semi-Quantitative Seismic Risk Screening Tool (SQST) to supersede the 1993 NRC Manual for Screening of Buildings for Seismic Investigation. The proposed screening tool incorporates a methodology for estimating global seismic risk of existing buildings associated with failure of their non-structural components. The methodology assesses global seismic risk using a qualitative yet comprehensive scoring system. The scoring system consists of a global non-structural component score and acceptable threshold scores. The global score is based on the most critical components. It combines a basic score with score modifiers for key parameters affecting the seismic response of non-structural components. The acceptable threshold score is based on the building's consequence of failure, the building's importance category, and the component factor. The scoring system is calibrated to be consistent with the seismic risk acceptance criteria previously developed for preliminary seismic risk screening of existing buildings, based on Canadian seismicity, building age, remaining occupancy time, and consequences of failure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An existing eight-storey reinforced concrete shear wall building located in Montreal is studied to evaluate the impact of applying a conditional mean spectrum (CMS) in lieu of the conventional uniform hazard spectrum (UHS) to the seismic evaluation of such structures. The construction of the CMS is reviewed and adapted to take account of seismic hazard in Montreal. The developed CMS and their envelopes were used to conduct modal response spectrum analyses of the building and the results are compared to those obtained from the NBCC 2005 UHS. Justifications of similarities or differences between CMS- and UHS-based results are illustrated throughout the paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Concentrically braced timber frames are often used as lateral load resisting systems in wood buildings where large open spaces are required. For application in high-risk earthquake zones, however, the ductility of the system is a concern, since energy absorption is typically limited to the connection region. In this paper, results are presented from a series of shake table tests conducted on single-storey braced frame models with different connections. Diagonal braces with five different connection types were tested, four of which used bolts as fasteners, while one brace had timber riveted connections. Four of the connections had a matching set with an identical configuration that was previously tested quasi-statically. Findings from the tests are presented along with some comments on the seismic behavior of this type of structural system. It was found that the seismic response of the braced frames is highly influenced by the brace connections. Braced frames with small diameter (slender) bolts and timber rivets showed desirable seismic performance, as they were able to dissipate the highest amount of the seismic input energy. A comparison of the quasi-static and shake table tests revealed slight differences in the load–deformation properties of the brace connections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]