Project Title:	A Seismic Study of Wind Turbines for Renewable Energy		Status: (status)
	Investigators:	PI: Ahmed Elgamal (UC San Diego) Co-PI: J Luco Co-PI: Chia-Ming Uang Co-PI: Joel Conte	NEES Sites:	UC San Diego UC Los Angeles
	Award Number:	NSF 0830422	Award Type:	NEESR-II
	Award Amount:	$374,925	RPA Number:	(Unavailable)
	Abstract:
	This award is an outcome of the NSF 08-519 program solicitation George E. Brown, Jr. Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation (NEES) Research (NEESR) competition and includes the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) (lead institution) and Harvey Mudd College (sub-award). This project will utilize the NEES equipment sites at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and the University of California, San Diego (UCSD). The research outcomes will allow engineers to appropriately and economically account for seismic loading on wind turbines. This will further facilitate expansion of a main source of Green renewable energy, and ensure minimal disruption to the critical resource that wind power provides. The project will be conducted in collaboration with industry representatives in order to further focus the research effort on the most significant practical needs today. Related educational outreach activities will allow undergraduate students to participate in the utilization of the involved NEES world class testing facilities. In addition, the project team will develop related internet dissemination applications for K-12 and undergraduate students. In the United States, the 2006 investment in wind turbines was on the order of $4 billion. This growth shows no sign of slowing with the Department of Energy (DOE) goal of expanding the number of wind turbines fivefold by 2015. A significant portion of this growth is in earthquake prone states. For instance, more than a quarter of the new capacity installed in 2005 and 2006 was in the seismically vulnerable States of California and Washington. New wind turbines are also becoming increasingly taller and heavier, standing vertically in excess of 200 feet (taller than a twenty-story building), and thus increasing the significance of potential earthquake loads. If seismically vulnerable, numerous turbines of a given vintage in a large wind farm may be damaged, leading to substantial economic consequences. In order to address this challenge, the proposed research will utilize NEES facilities to provide the needed experimental data and insights for developing validated rational analysis and design procedures. The NEES equipment operated by UCLA will be used to conduct a comprehensive field investigation to quantify the dynamics of actual operating wind turbines. Experiments using the outdoor UCSD NEES shake table will provide insight into the potential damage modes of wind turbines when subjected to earthquake shaking. Findings from these tests will be used to construct and validate computational models that will further extend the testing results. These models will be used to develop a framework for seismic analysis and design of wind turbines. Intellectual merit in this effort stems from providing the first experimentally validated seismic design procedure for wind turbines worldwide. Data from this project will be made available through the NEES data repository (http://www.nees.org).
	Narratives from the Researcher's Annual Reports:
	(Narrative Unavailable)
	Publications Resulting from this Research Project:
	(Publications Unavailable)

	Project Title:	Toward Rapid Return to Occupancy in Unbraced Steel Frames		Status: (status)
	Investigators:	PI: Peter Dusicka (Portland State Univ.) Co-PI: Rupa Purasinghe Co-PI: Jeffrey Berman	NEES Sites:	University of Nevada, Reno
	Award Number:	NSF 0830414	Award Type:	NEESR-II
	Award Amount:	$349,617	RPA Number:	(Unavailable)
	Abstract:
	This award is an outcome of the NSF 08-519 program solicitation George E. Brown, Jr. Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation (NEES) Research (NEESR) competition and includes Portland State University (lead institution), University of Washington (subaward), and California State University, Los Angeles (subaward). The project will utilize the multiple shake table NEES equipment site at the University of Nevada, Reno. The basic seismic design philosophy for steel frame buildings has been to rely on the gravity load system in order to prevent loss of life. However, the expectations of building owners and society are no longer satisfied with merely providing life safety, so new structural systems are needed for achieving improved performance levels that limit damage. One of the design targets needs to include rapid return to occupancy, especially for earthquakes that are less severe than the maximum expected. The overall objective of this project is to develop a lateral load resisting system, the linked column frame system, for unbraced steel frames capable of achieving specific target performance levels. The proposed structural system includes configurations of novel and conventional structural components that together result in predictable and rapidly recoverable damage. NEES equipment sites offer a unique capability to experimentally evaluate system level response under dynamic loads, which is required to study the interaction of the structural components and evaluate the potential advantages of the proposed building frames. This NEES individual investigator project will transform seismic design approach in regions of moderate and high seismicity by developing a unique seismic load resisting system, thereby contributing to the intellectual merit of the project. The research will use advanced experimental and computational research methods to develop the necessary understanding of system and component behaviors. Data sets from large-scale dynamic experiments will be generated to ensure that analytical models capable of capturing both component and system behavior are developed. The depth of understanding achieved through such an experimental and analytical research program will enable the development of robust design methodologies. The outcomes of this research will not only impact seismic design, but also result in other broader impacts. Utilization of such new structural systems will reduce post-event downtime and building repair costs, and thus will have a significant impact on reducing earthquake losses and life-cycle costs. Further, the research will develop understanding of a novel composite construction that could be adapted to other structural components. This project will also impact engineering education and diversity through active collaboration with faculty and undergraduate students from a minority serving and predominantly undergraduate institution. The proposed activities are combined with an integrated educational component designed to emphasize the importance of capacity and performance design in undergraduate engineering education. These educational aspects will be reinforced through research participation using existing NEES web based telepresence tools. Data from this project will be made available through the NEES data repository (http://www.nees.org).
	Narratives from the Researcher's Annual Reports:
	(Narrative Unavailable)
	Publications Resulting from this Research Project:
	(Publications Unavailable)

	Project Title:	Development of Next Generation Adaptive Seismic Protection Systems		Status: (status)
	Investigators:	PI: Satish Nagarajaiah (William Marsh Rice Univ) Co-PI: Andrei Reinhorn Co-PI: Michael Constantinou Co-PI: Michael Symans Co-PI: Jian Zhang	NEES Sites:	University at Buffalo
	Award Number:	NSF 0830391	Award Type:	NEESR-SG
	Award Amount:	$1,591,082	RPA Number:	(Unavailable)
	Abstract:
	This award is an outcome of the NSF 08-519 program solicitation George E. Brown, Jr. Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation (NEES) Research (NEESR) competition and includes Rice University as the lead institution with subawards to the University at Buffalo, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, University of California-Los Angeles, and California State University-Fresno. Conventionally designed structural frame systems develop significant inelastic deformations under strong earthquakes, leading to inelastic hysteretic behavior, stiffness and strength degradation, increased interstory drifts, and damage with residual drift. Passive seismic protection systems in the form of supplemental damping devices have emerged as an effective approach for reducing response and limiting damage by shifting the inelastic energy dissipation from the framing system to the dampers. However, such dampers do not generally provide self-centering stiffness capability or counter stiffness degradation. Recent investigations have shown that a combination of adaptive stiffness and damping (ASD) devices can provide substantial response modification, particularly during near-fault pulse-type earthquakes. ASD devices offer structural response modification capability by optimally varying the restoring forces (stiffness) linked to the frequencies of vibration and dissipative forces (damping) that govern the behavior of a structural dynamic system. To date, adaptive stiffness systems have received relatively little attention as compared to supplemental damping systems and thus represent a significant gap in earthquake engineering. Hence, development of new ASD devices is necessary to shift the energy dissipation and associated stiffness variations from the structural system to the ASD devices to reduce damage in frames, eliminate residual interstory drift, and provide self-centering capability. The research vision of this project is to develop the next generation of seismic protection systems by combining a new class of self-centering adaptive stiffness systems with highly efficient energy dissipation. The goal is to mimic the behavior of actively controlled devices by developing self-contained semi-active ASD devices with feedback and passive ASD devices with internal hydraulic feedback. The core strategy involves a comprehensive analytical and experimental investigation of potential active, semiactive, and passive systems followed by the synthesis and development of practical adjustable passive systems and self-contained semi-active systems for implementation in practical structures. Such an approach is consistent with that adopted in the defense industry and is expected to result in widespread application of ASD systems in civil structures. The project is expected to advance the state-of-the-art of increased resilience through structural response modification, contributing to earthquake hazard mitigation and expedient post earthquake recovery (due to easy replacement of ASD systems). The project will broadly impact earthquake engineering practice through educational outreach and wide dissemination of research findings through the project web site. Additionally, the project will have a significant impact on students from underrepresented groups through active involvement of a Hispanic Serving Institution. This project will utilize the NEES equipment site and experimental facilities at the University at Buffalo to achieve its goals. Following the experiments, all data from this project will be made available through the NEES data repository (http://www.nees.org).
	Narratives from the Researcher's Annual Reports:
	(Narrative Unavailable)
	Publications Resulting from this Research Project:
	(Publications Unavailable)

	Project Title:	Mitigating the Risk of Coastal Infrastructure through understanding Tsunami-Structure Interaction and Modeling		Status: (status)
	Investigators:	PI: Daniel Cox (Oregon State University) Co-PI: Rakesh Gupta Co-PI: John van de Lindt Co-PI: Francisco Aguiniga	NEES Sites:	Oregon State
	Award Number:	NSF 0830378	Award Type:	NEESR-II
	Award Amount:	$374,996	RPA Number:	(Unavailable)
	Abstract:
	This award is an outcome of the NSF 08-519 program solicitation ''George E. Brown, Jr. Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation (NEES) Research (NEESR)'' competition and includes the Oregon State University (lead institution), Colorado State University (subaward), and Texas A&M University, Kingsville (subaward). The current tsunami evacuation strategy in the U.S. puts large populations at high risk because it requires everyone to evacuate the flooded areas and does not consider the possibility of using tall buildings for shelter. Part of the unwillingness to adopt vertical evacuation strategies stems from an inability to estimate the damage level in the flooded area for a range of building types, including reinforced concrete (e.g., modern hotel), unreinforced concrete masonry units (e.g., older motel, light commercial) and light-frame wood (mostly residential and some light commercial) structures. The goal of this project is to model building damage by studying water flow and debris hazard of collapsed buildings in the flooded areas. This will help us understand the expected damage to cities and town and to design buildings to withstand these forces. As a first step of this new approach, we will focus on residential (light-frame wood) buildings which make up 90% of the building stock in the US and are where people spend approximately half of the hours in their day, Because of the sheer number of residential buildings in these coastal communities, understanding tsunami impact on these structures and the expected damage level is necessary to reduce damage and loss of life. The goals of this NEESR-II project are to (1) develop a methodology to assess the risk of residential structures to tsunami inundation and wave forces through a systematic experimental study coupled with a numerical probability of failure analysis; (2) enable the development of innovative retrofit products by developing a structural testing protocol that is representative of hydraulic impact/forces during a tsunami; and (3) refine the current hydraulic force equation in ASCE 7 based on a series of wave basin tests to account for building density and other variables. This transformative project builds on the knowledge base of tsunami inundation at regional scales and the tsunami-structure understanding at the building scale from other NEESR projects. This project also integrates new large-scale physical modeling and numerical modeling efforts to mitigate both structural risk to building damage and loss of life in a community-wide tsunami inundation event. To accomplish the project objectives, several large-scale tests will be conducted over three years at the NEES Tsunami Facility at Oregon State University using both the Large Wave Flume and Tsunami Wave Basin Facilities. The tests will mark the first time that large-scale tsunami tests will be conducted for US residential structures. This project develops a collaboration with the Port and Airport Research Institute (PARI), Japan's premier research center for coastal infrastructure. Currently, the Tsunami and Storm Surge Division of PARI is developing a series of nested numerical models that can model tsunami propagation and inundation over a wide range of spatial scale, including tsunami forces on buildings. This project will have an important educational aspect by training two graduate students, one at Oregon State and the other at Colorado State, and one undergraduate research student per year from Texas A&M University-Kingsville, a minority serving institution. This research will permeate to basic undergraduate and graduate engineering courses at OSU, CSU, and TAMU-Kingsville to increase awareness of the engineer?s role and responsibility in the design of houses and buildings exposed to the forces of nature. Outreach aspects of this project will also focus on the use of technology to enhance learning via a hands-on design project related to tsunami-structure interaction for first year engineering students at universities outside the NEES@OSU site. In addition to this activity, the project as a whole will reach the general public through collaborations with two nationally known Museums of Science and Industry: one in Portland, OR, and the other in Chicago, IL. The project team will help the Chicago museum develop tsunami content for Science Storms, a high-visibility, marquee exhibit at the Museum, which welcomes over 1.5 million visitors, students, parents and teachers each year. The team will work with the Oregon museum on communicating the importance of engineering research to the general public. The project also supports one science teacher on the use of technology to enhance the learning of STEM subjects. Data from this project will be made available through the NEES data repository (http://www.nees.org)
	Narratives from the Researcher's Annual Reports:
	(Narrative Unavailable)
	Publications Resulting from this Research Project:
	(Publications Unavailable)

	Project Title:	ExVis Tool and Case Study Implementation for the Visualization, Fusion, and Analysis of Experimental Test Data on Concrete Structural Walls		Status: (status)
	Investigators:	PI: Daniel Kuchma (UIUC)	NEES Sites:	UI Urbana-Champlain
	Award Number:	NSF 0830364	Award Type:	NEESR-SD
	Award Amount:	$80,000	RPA Number:	(Unavailable)
	Abstract:
	This award is an outcome of the NSF 08-519 program solicitation George E. Brown, Jr. Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation (NEES) Research (NEESR) competition. This project will utilize the NEES equipment site at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. New tools for data visualization and analysis are needed to take full advantage of the density of test data being collected in NEESR projects. These tools should have similar functionalities as post-processors for viewing and interpreting the results of finite element analyses in which users are able to explore all aspects of structural response in the context of its geometry and considering its material properties. The creation and extensive use of these types of tools is critical for achieving the NEES mission of creating more comprehensive and reliable computational models for use in professional practice and research. As part of a project sponsored through the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) and led by the PI of this project, a significant advance was made to create a next generation tool for the visualization, exploration, and analysis of experimental test data. This tool, named ExVis for Experimental Visualization, integrates the data from multiple measurement sources (load cells, displacement transducers, strain gauges, crack maps, and absolute and relative target displacements) with the full geometry, reinforcing details, and material properties of prestressed girders that were load tested to failure as part of this NAS project. ExVis was only developed for the specific geometry, properties, and instrumentation used in these test girders and did not provide all desired functionalities for broader applications. This project will expand and generalize the ExVis program functionality through its use in providing an in-depth exploration and analysis of the measured response of reinforced concrete structural walls that are being load tested to failure at the Illinois NEES site as part of the project NEESR-SG Seismic Behavior, Analysis, and Design of Complex Wall Systems. With respect to intellectual merit, the development and use of ExVis will enable a deeper examination of the measured response of test structures than was previously possible. This will significantly advance the development, calibration, and validation of constitutive relationships, behavioral models, and numerical analysis tools. The project will also begin the difficult task of fusing test data from multiple measurement sources that have different areas of coverage, densities, and accuracies. With respect to broader impacts, this project will illustrate the value of collecting and formatting dense experimental test data, and thereby encourage researchers to gather more complete information about the response of test structures. This will be achieved in part by uploading the formatted experimental test data on the reinforced concrete structural walls to a central archive and then providing direct access to the ExVis program for researchers from the United States and abroad to explore this test data for themselves. By providing this level of access, it will enable and encourage others to make a critical review and use of test data which is a core mission of NEES. The ExVis program will be open source as well as designed and documented so that it can be expanded to provide new functionalities as well as to serve as a prototype for the creation of even more comprehensive data visualization and analysis tools. Data from this project will be made available through the NEES data repository (http://www.nees.org).
	Narratives from the Researcher's Annual Reports:
	(Narrative Unavailable)
	Publications Resulting from this Research Project:
	(Publications Unavailable)

	Project Title:	Seismic Performance Assessment in Dense Urban Environments		Status: (status)
	Investigators:	PI: Jonathan Bray (UC Berkeley) Co-PI: Robert Reitherman Co-PI: Bruce Kutter Co-PI: Tara Hutchinson Co-PI: Andrew Whittaker	NEES Sites:	UC Davis
	Award Number:	NSF 0830331	Award Type:	NEESR-SG
	Award Amount:	$1,552,658	RPA Number:	(Unavailable)
	Abstract:
	This award is an outcome of the NSF 08-519 program solicitation "George E. Brown, Jr. Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation (NEES) Research (NEESR)" competition and includes the University of California, Berkeley (lead institution), University of Buffalo-SUNY (subaward), University of California, Davis (subaward), University of California, San Diego (subaward), California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo (subaward), and the Consortium of Universities for Research in Earthquake Engineering (subaward). This project will utilize the NEES equipment site at the University of California, Davis (the UC Davis Geotechnical Centrifuge Facility). In our cities, buildings are constructed in clusters (the city block). Ideally, they should be designed to resist earthquake forces as clusters of buildings, because the response of one building can affect the response of neighboring buildings. However, the interactions between densely spaced buildings are not captured in current design practice, because buildings are typically designed as isolated structures. Soil-structure interaction (SSI) effects on closely spaced low- and medium-rise buildings are poorly understood. For example, it is not clear how basements of different sizes affect how the ground shakes these buildings. Recent earthquakes have damaged groups of buildings in cities, but it is difficult to learn from these observations due to the lack of documentation of the ground motion and building performance. However, a comprehensive program of realistic scaled centrifuge experiments, where the input motion, ground conditions, ground response, and structural response can be carefully tracked, followed by back-analyses of these model tests, can be employed to enhance the profession's understanding of SSI effects of buildings in a dense urban environment. The unique capabilities of the NEES UC Davis centrifuge will be used to advance our understanding of SSI effects for clusters of buildings so that reliable assessments can be made. In a centrifuge, a box containing soil and model buildings is spun at a rotational acceleration of 50 g so that a 2 foot thickness of soil has the same stresses as a 100 foot thickness of soil. Building models are scaled similarly so realistic responses are measured in these experiments. The testing program will develop a database of well-documented model 'case histories' of building performance within a dense urban environment at sites undergoing moderate and severe ground shaking with and without ground failure. Researchers can then use these experimental results to advance our understanding of these phenomena and our ability to analyze them. Physical experiments followed by numerical simulations will allow us to develop guidance for designers and policy makers on how clusters of buildings perform during earthquakes. This project will advance fundamental science and knowledge in engineering with substantial intellectual benefits to both geotechnical and structural engineering disciplines. Both disciplines will contribute to and benefit from the development and deployment of an integrated performance-based seismic design and a robust loss-estimation methodology. The project will also train Ph.D. students, bring in undergraduate students from a teaching university, engage under-represented students, impact building code development and performance-based seismic design, and outreach to a broad spectrum of end-users by emphasizing web-accessed media. We will also translate the challenge of solving this realistic problem to undergraduates (and others) via a "Shaking of a City Block" shaking table competition to have students consider the effects of adjacent structures and soil on seismic performance. Data from this project will be made available through the NEES data repository (http://www.nees.org).
	Narratives from the Researcher's Annual Reports:
	(Narrative Unavailable)
	Publications Resulting from this Research Project:
	(Publications Unavailable)

	Project Title:	Understanding and Improving the Seismic Behavior of Pile Foundations in Soft Clays		Status: (status)
	Investigators:	PI: Kanthasamy Muraleetharan (Univ. of Oklahoma) Co-PI: Gerald Miller Co-PI: Sri Sritharan Co-PI: Steven Vukazich Co-PI: Amy Cerato	NEES Sites:	UC Davis UC Los Angeles
	Award Number:	NSF 0830328	Award Type:	NEESR-SG
	Award Amount:	$1,151,511	RPA Number:	(Unavailable)
	Abstract:
	This award is an outcome of the NSF 08-519 program solicitation "George E. Brown, Jr. Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation (NEES) Research (NEESR)" competition and includes the University of Oklahoma (lead institution), Iowa State University, San Jose State University (a predominately undergraduate institution), Earth Mechanics, Inc., and Advanced GeoSolutions, Inc. This project will utilize the NEES equipment sites at the University of California, Davis and the University of California, Los Angeles. Pile foundations are an integral part of many civil engineering structures. The seismic behavior of pile foundations is a very complex problem with interactions between soils (solid skeleton, pore water, and pore air), piles, and superstructure. This complexity is further exacerbated when weak soils such as soft clays and liquefiable loose sands surround the pile foundation. The behavior of pile foundations in liquefiable sands has been studied extensively; however, similar investigations for soft clays or seismic response of piles in improved soils have been rarely performed. The current seismic design practice calls for avoiding inelastic behavior of pile foundations by restricting their lateral displacements because it is difficult to detect damage to foundations following an earthquake. Limiting the lateral displacement of a pile foundation is relatively easy to achieve in competent soils. In the case of weak soils, the current practice is to use an increased number of more ductile, larger diameter piles that are difficult to design and expensive to construct. An innovative, and perhaps more cost-effective, solution to this problem is to improve the soil surrounding the pile foundation. For structures undergoing seismic retrofit with existing pile foundations in weak soils, in certain instances, improving the soils may be the only option to improve the seismic behavior of the foundation. This technique is not widely used in seismic regions due to lack of fundamental understanding of the behavior of improved and unimproved soils and the interactions between them as well as with the piles during earthquakes. As a first step in a long term objective of understanding and improving the seismic behavior of pile foundations in all weak soils, the proposed research will focus on soft clays. Soft clays are quite prevalent in earthquake prone areas of the U.S., but have received little attention from the research community. Following are some of the unanswered research questions that have to be addressed before ground improvement can be used as a viable option to enhance the seismic response of pile foundations in soft clays in routine design practice: (1) What are the effective techniques for improving soft clays around pile foundations for both seismic design and retrofit? (2) How can we analyze, simulate, and design pile foundations in soft clays with ground improvement for earthquake loads? (3) How do individual piles and pile groups, with and without ground improvement, behave during seismic events and how can we validate our analysis and simulation tools and designs? And (4) how can we translate our understanding into a useful design methodology to benefit the broader earthquake engineering community? The intellectual merit of this work is that the above mentioned research questions will be systematically addressed using a multidisciplinary team consisting of structural and geotechnical engineers and industrial partners who have extensive experience in ground improvement techniques and seismic design of pile foundations. Innovative centrifuge and full-scale field tests using NEES facilities and equipment, simplified analysis methods, and sophisticated fully coupled simulation techniques will be utilized to understand and improve the seismic behavior of pile foundations in soft clays. The research results will be translated into a useful design methodology and tools that will benefit the entire earthquake engineering community immediately as well as influence the long term practices. Simple analysis methods will serve the immediate needs of the industry while sophisticated simulation techniques are expected to show the limitations of the simple analysis methods and impact the long term industry practices. In addition to benefiting the earthquake engineering community, the broader impacts of the proposed project include the integration of the proposed research into education at K-12 and undergraduate and graduate levels using the knowledge gained from innovative curriculum projects currently underway or already implemented. The proposed education plan includes a seismic design project that spans multiple courses for undergraduate and graduate students, a web-based simulation competition for high school students, and an adventure scenario based learning module for middle and elementary school students. Data from this project will be made available through the NEES data repository (http://www.nees.org).
	Narratives from the Researcher's Annual Reports:
	(Narrative Unavailable)
	Publications Resulting from this Research Project:
	(Publications Unavailable)

	Project Title:	Advanced Site Monitoring and Effective Characterization of Site Nonlinear Dynamic Properties and Model Calibration		Status: (status)
	Investigators:	PI: Mourad Zeghal (Rensselaer Polytechnic) Co-PI: Tarek Abdoun Co-PI: Anirban De	NEES Sites:	Rensselaer Polytechnic Inst. University of Texas UC Santa Barbara
	Award Number:	NSF 0830325	Award Type:	NEESR-II
	Award Amount:	$374,624	RPA Number:	(Unavailable)
	Abstract:
	This award is an outcome of the NSF 08-519 program solicitation George E. Brown, Jr. Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation (NEES) Research (NEESR)competition and includes Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (lead institution) and Manhattan College (subaward). This project will utilize the NEES equipment sites at the University of California at Santa Barbara, the University of Texas at Austin and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Site liquefaction during earthquake excitations is often associated with significant permanent displacement and lateral spreading that lead to costly damage to civil systems of all types. However, realtime field measurements of permanent displacements have eluded researcher and practitioners until recently, and hindered the development of reliable tools to predict site lateral spreading and failure. This project proposes a research program to develop a capability to monitor the cyclic and permanent displacement of field sites and use the associated measurements to characterize the in situ low and large strain dynamic properties for soil strata ranging from the ground surface to a depth of about 30 meters. A number of wireless shape-acceleration arrays (WSSA) will be installed permanently at the NEES@UCSB Wildlife liquefaction site to monitor low strain response as well as earthquake induced liquefaction, permanent deformation and lateral spreading. It is anticipated that an earthquake in the near future will induce large permanent deformation at this site. The installed arrays would then provide for the first time measurement of the time history of a site lateral spreading profile. Specifically, this project comprises the following tasks: (1) development and validation of optimal array configurations using centrifuge model tests and computational analyses, (2) installation of a number of wireless shape-acceleration arrays within an optimal configuration at the NEES@UCSB Wildlife liquefaction site, (3) excitation of the site using the NEES@Texas T-Rex vibrator, and (4) development of innovative data reduction and identification tools to estimate the 3-dimensional (small and large strain) dynamic properties and response mechanisms of the Wildlife site as well as other field sites that may be instrumented in the future. This project will have a broad impact on our capabilities to test in situ soil systems, evaluate their (low and large strain) mechanical properties and calibrate computational models of these systems, all while avoiding the issues of soil sample disturbance and limitation of small scale or sample testing. The outcome of the planned research will contribute to the development of more robust modeling procedures and predictive tools of soil systems to reduce losses associated with earthquakes. The proposed curriculum development at Rensselaer and Manhattan College will accelerate and enhance the emerging new paradigm in engineering education where hands-on experience is one of the catalysts for effective transmission of knowledge. Data from this project will be made available through the NEES data repository (http://www.nees.org).
	Narratives from the Researcher's Annual Reports:
	(Narrative Unavailable)
	Publications Resulting from this Research Project:
	(Publications Unavailable)

	Project Title:	Smart and Resilient Steel Walls for Reducing Earthquake Impacts		Status: (status)
	Investigators:	PI: Jeffrey Berman (Univ. of Washington) Co-PI: Michel Bruneau Co-PI: Laura Lowes Co-PI: Taichiro Okazaki	NEES Sites:	University of Minnesota University at Buffalo
	Award Number:	NSF 0830294	Award Type:	NEESR-SG
	Award Amount:	$1,531,077	RPA Number:	(Unavailable)
	Abstract:
	This award is an outcome of the NSF 08-519 program solicitation, "George E. Brown, Jr. Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation (NEES) Research (NEESR)" competition and includes the University of Washington (lead institution), University of Minnesota (subaward), and University at Buffalo, SUNY (subaward). This project will utilize the NEES equipment sites at the University of Minnesota and University at Buffalo and has strong international collaboration with large-scale experiments to be performed at the National Center for Research in Earthquake Engineering (NCREE) in Taiwan. The goal of this project is to develop a smart and resilient steel plate shear wall (SR-SPSW) system with the potential to transform seismic design in areas of moderate and high seismicity. The system strategically combines the benefits of self-centering and steel plate shear wall technologies to create a robust, ductile, and easily repairable system that will reduce life-cycle costs for buildings. Most traditional seismic load resisting systems will suffer structural damage during seismic events; the cost and downtime associated with repair of that damage has led to staggering economic losses. The proposed SR-SPSW system could drastically reduce those losses. SPSWs are excellent candidates for the application of self-centering technology; they have high strength and elastic stiffness and require low re-centering forces. The buckling and yielding behavior of the web plate will also be leveraged to develop self-sensing concepts such that post-event decisions regarding web plate replacement can be made with minimal disruption. SPSW behavior under earthquake loading is highly nonlinear, and complex component interactions exist; of particular complexity are the interactions between the web plate tension field action and the forces in the re-centering mechanisms of the proposed SR-SPSWs. Large-scale testing using advanced experimental techniques and instrumentation will generate data to be used to develop numerical models anchored in physical behavior. Application of those tools in parametric analyses of SPSW systems will provide a new level of understanding of the system response and help to eliminate overly conservative design processes. To ensure that the new SR-SPSW system will be implemented, and to increase the use of conventional SPSW systems, this research will also seek to fill critical knowledge gaps in SPSW system behavior including the understanding of coupled SPSW behavior and the expected distribution of yielding in multistory SPSW. The project also includes a series of activities that will advance the NEES education, outreach, and training goals. Through collaboration with Seattle-MESA, the project will engage high school students from underrepresented minorities in structural engineering and laboratory experimentation, ultimately helping to promote diversity in engineering and science. The project team also includes faculty and undergraduates from Seattle University, a predominantly undergraduate institution, who will contribute to the research endeavor. The project will excite K-5 students about science and engineering through the development of the Wicked Walls program; a hands on learning activity showing students the benefits of walls for seismic resistance. Finally, outreach to practicing structural engineers will occur through the Seismic Provisions committee, conference presentations, and seminars with the cooperation of AISC. The research team experience in developing national and international codes ensures that research outcomes will have an immediate impact on design practice. Data from this project will be made available through the NEES data repository (http://www.nees.org).
	Narratives from the Researcher's Annual Reports:
	(Narrative Unavailable)
	Publications Resulting from this Research Project:
	(Publications Unavailable)

	Project Title:	Biological Improvement of Sands for Liquefaction Prevention and Damage Mitigation		Status: (status)
	Investigators:	PI: Jason DeJong (UC Davis) Co-PI: Douglas Nelson Co-PI: Ross Boulanger	NEES Sites:	UC Davis
	Award Number:	NSF 0830182	Award Type:	NEESR-II
	Award Amount:	$375,000	RPA Number:	(Unavailable)
	Abstract:
	This award is an outcome of the NSF 08-519 program solicitation ''George E. Brown, Jr. Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation (NEES) Research (NEESR)'' competition and includes the University of California at Davis (lead institution) and Lafayette University (subaward). The project will utilize the NEES equipment site at the University of California at Davis, which consists of a state-of-the-art geotechnical centrifuge (http://nees.ucdavis.edu). Our project vision is to evaluate and establish the potential of a bio-mediated ground improvement process to increase soil resistance to liquefaction triggering and to reduce the consequences if liquefaction does occur in the surrounding soil. The bio-mediated ground improvement process that will be implemented utilizes the biological activity of naturally occurring microbes to create the environmental conditions necessary for calcite crystals to form and bind soil particles together (www.sil.ucdavis.edu). This process is akin to the natural geologic process of sands and produces similar results, namely sandstone-like material. A bio-mediated approach is attractive since it is a naturally occurring process that is simply being accelerated. In this project we will examine how the treatment of liquefiable soils with the bio-mediated soil improvement method prevents/limits the occurrence of liquefaction and the performance of buildings supported on bio-improved soil. The UC Davis NEES centrifuge facility will be used to create scaled structures (buildings) supported on liquefiable soils. Zones of the soil directly beneath the building will be treated. The model will then be subjected to field (real) scale stress conditions by spinning the centrifuge. During spinning the models will be subjected to earthquake shaking and the performance of the soil and the structure will be measured with displacement, pore pressure, and accelerometer transducers in addition to high-speed video. This interdisciplinary research has the potential to transform the way in which earthquake-induced damage to civil infrastructure is mitigated. It also represents a significant contribution to the field of bio-soil engineering, a new emerging field at the cross-roads of civil engineering, microbiology, and geochemistry. In addition to providing direct insight into mitigating hazards associated with liquefiable soils, bio-mediated ground improvement processes have the potential in the future for dam and levee safety, tunneling, environmental barriers, groundwater protection, aquifer storage, energy storage, and geologic CO2 sequestration. The project will also be involved in the education and training of undergraduate and graduate students for this new interdisciplinary field. Data from this project will be made available through the NEES data repository (http://www.nees.org).
	Narratives from the Researcher's Annual Reports:
	(Narrative Unavailable)
	Publications Resulting from this Research Project:
	(Publications Unavailable)

	Project Title:	Performance-Based Design and Real-time Large-scale Testing to Enable Implementation of Advanced Damping Systems		Status: (status)
	Investigators:	PI: Shirley Dyke (Washington University) Co-PI: Bill Spencer Co-PI: James Ricles Co-PI: Anil Agrawal Co-PI: Richard Christenson	NEES Sites:	Lehigh University
	Award Number:	NSF 0830173	Award Type:	NEESR-SG
	Award Amount:	$1,200,000	RPA Number:	(Unavailable)
	Abstract:
	This award is an outcome of the NSF 08-519 program solicitation George E. Brown Jr. Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation (NEES) Research (NEESR) competition and includes Washington University (lead institution), Lehigh University (subaward), the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana (subaward), City University of New York City College (subaward), and the University of Connecticut (subaward). This project will utilize the NEES equipment site at Lehigh University. Advanced damping systems have demonstrated great promise for seismic hazard mitigation. The adaptability of structures using these versatile devices to severe loading conditions is expected to facilitate major advances in the ability to achieve performance-based design of structures. However, such innovative systems have been slow to be used in practice due to a lack of appropriate design procedures and adequate testing methods to validate these systems. Effective implementation of this technology will require establishing and validating performance-based design methodologies that best exploit their unique damping capabilities. Large-scale testing for model validation and performance assessment can best be achieved through pseudo dynamic (PSD) test methods on large scale structures. However, when these dampers are integrated into a structural system, they exhibit several types of complex behaviors that cannot adequately be reproduced at less than real-time. Recently developed real-time hybrid testing methods allow greater abilities regarding the types of structures and systems that can be tested. These methods need to be validated for complex structural systems. These are compelling reasons for conducting an integrated study focusing on large-scale testing of structures equipped with such damping devices to: i) demonstrate a typical performance-based design methodology for a structural system employing advanced damping devices; ii) validate an appropriate large-scale testing technique for validation and acceptance of new damping systems; iii) validate novel real-time PSD testing methodologies for large-scale structural systems in this class; and iv) educate practitioners and students on these technologies, enabling implementation of advanced damping systems in the United States. Magnetorheological fluid devices, a particularly promising damping system, will be used in the experiments to leverage prior funding. With proper use, these devices can also mimic a wide variety of passive damping systems, allowing for establishment of a testbed for future researchers. This project will result in the development of appropriate performance-based design procedures and simulation capabilities regarding advanced damping systems, as well as validation of such damping technologies for civil engineering applications, realizing the fundamental vision behind NEES. The successful validation of an effective real-time PSD testing method for large-scale, complex structures will break down the barriers currently preventing the validation of such innovative systems at large-scale, and will enable real-time PSD testing throughout NEES, leading to the possibility of sophisticated testing of more complex structures than have ever been tested before. International partnerships with researchers in Europe, Japan and China are established to draw upon relevant expertise and to enhance the impact of this integrated research and education program. Industrial collaborators will provide the perspective of and needs for the practicing engineering community. Education and technology transfer plans are focused on targeting a diverse audience at all levels including: graduate and undergraduate students through research, course modules, and training on testing procedures and equipment; regional K-12 students through existing partnerships; and practicing engineers through a NEES webinar. To further increase the participation of underrepresented students in these research and educational opportunities, City College of New York (a minority institution, a Hispanic serving institution and LSAMP member) is a partner in all aspects of this effort. The project website will house educational outcomes and information for interested researchers, practicing engineers and students. NEES tools and capabilities will play an integral role in conducting the experiments, project execution, and archiving and sharing the data. Data from this project will be made available through the NEES data repository (http://www.nees.org).
	Narratives from the Researcher's Annual Reports:
	(Narrative Unavailable)
	Publications Resulting from this Research Project:
	(Publications Unavailable)

	Project Title:	Evaluation of Seismic Levee Deformation Potential by Destructive Cyclic Field Testing		Status: (status)
	Investigators:	PI: Scott Brandenberg (UC Los Angeles) Co-PI: Jonathan Stewart	NEES Sites:	UC Los Angeles
	Award Number:	NSF 0830081	Award Type:	NEESR-II
	Award Amount:	$375,000	RPA Number:	(Unavailable)
	Abstract:
	The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta levees are critical components of California's water distribution system. The Delta supplies fresh water to 22 million people in southern and central California as well as eastern portions of the San Francisco Bay area and directly supports $400 billion/year of economic activity within the State of California. The "islands" circumscribed by the network of levees are commonly 3 to 5 meters below sea level, and are protected by only about 1 to 1.5 meters of freeboard at high tide. A breach in a levee causes water from the channel to flow into the island thereby inundating farmland and wildlife habitat, and drawing saline water from the San Francisco Bay into the Delta. This is a potentially catastrophic scenario, as saline contamination could halt water delivery to central and southern California, removing the sole water source for many communities. This scenario is unlikely in the event of an individual levee breach caused by burrowing animals and other local hazards because the existing emergency response system can respond to a single breach within a matter of hours and affect repair within a matter of weeks. On the other hand, seismic hazard is an extraordinary threat because of the potential for multiple simultaneous breaches inundating many islands within the Delta. Such widespread system failure has been forecast to cause up to 28 months of time during which fresh water deliveries from the Delta would not be possible. Some in fact question whether such a sequence of breaches might permanently change the regional morphology such that either alternative water sources would need to be identified or major sectors of the California economy/population would need to be reconfigured or relocated. The influence of earthquake shaking on the behavior of the levees is uncertain because the cyclic deformation potential of the underlying peaty organic soils not well understood, and there is an urgent need to investigate the behavior of these materials. Intellectual Merit and Scope: This award will support full-scale testing of an existing earth embankment (very similar in geometry to a levee, but not currently holding water) to investigate the in situ deformation potential of peaty organic foundation soils under realistic stresses and boundary conditions. The test conditions and instrumentation will be designed to measure the deformation mechanisms that can result in a critical loss of freeboard leading to a breach. Data of this sort is essential for the development of more rational analysis tools for assessing the seismic vulnerability of levees. The field testing will be supplemented by an extensive laboratory testing program to further investigate key material response characteristics such as soil strength loss and volume reduction caused by shaking. The improved knowledge of levee seismic vulnerability will be broadly applicable wherever these earth structures are founded on organic soils. Testing activities will be closely coordinated with engineers at the California Department of Water Resources to identify a suitable site. Insights gained from this project could fundamentally alter the manner in which Delta seismic risk is assessed and retrofit decisions are made. Broader Impacts: The most important societal impact of this research will be improvement of seismic risk assessment in the Delta, which in turn will result in better informed retrofit and/or construction decisions and a water delivery system that is more likely to maintain functionality during and following earthquake shaking. This award will also support development of education modules that leverage NEES resources to contribute to the broader NEESinc goals for education, outreach and training (EOT). The modules will teach about the current water delivery system, the network of levees in the Delta, the link between water delivery and the levee network, the engineering properties of these levees, the potential seismic failure mechanisms of the levees, and the consequences on the availability of water for drinking and irrigation. Included with the modules will be a study guide containing suggestions regarding implementation of the modules at different levels (i.e., undergraduates and K-12). Data from this project will be made available through the NEES data repository (http://www.nees.org)
	Narratives from the Researcher's Annual Reports:
	(Narrative Unavailable)
	Publications Resulting from this Research Project:
	(Publications Unavailable)

	Project Title:	Performance-Based Design of Squat Reinforced Concrete Shear Walls		Status: (status)
	Investigators:	PI: Andrew Whittaker (SUNY at Buffalo) Co-PI: Abraham Lynn Co-PI: Bozidar Stojadinovic Co-PI: Laura Lowes	NEES Sites:	University at Buffalo UC Berkeley
	Award Number:	NSF 0829978	Award Type:	NEESR-SG
	Award Amount:	$1,000,000	RPA Number:	(Unavailable)
	Abstract:
	This award is an outcome of the NSF 08-519 program solicitation George E. Brown, Jr. Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation (NEES) Research (NEESR) competition and includes the University at Buffalo-SUNY (lead institution), University of California, Berkeley (subaward), University of Washington (subaward), California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo (subaward), and the Consortium of Universities for Research in Earthquake Engineering (subaward). This project will utilize the NEES equipment sites at the University at Buffalo and the University of California, Berkeley. Structural walls are widely used as seismic lateral-force-resisting components in buildings and nuclear facilities. Since most building structures are low-rise with columns spaced at approximately 30 feet on center and walls cast between columns, most structural walls are squat with aspect ratios of 1.0 or less. Conventional walls are constructed of reinforced concrete (RC). Currently, the design of these walls is based on demand/capacity equations addressing shear strength and prescriptive detailing requirements, which were developed for tall (high aspect ratio) walls, to ensure ductility. However, analysis of squat wall test data shows that current design equations result in a significant bias and scatter in the ratios of estimated to measured strength. As such, squat walls stand out among RC structural elements because of the large uncertainties in characterizing their behavior. Such bias and uncertainties are unacceptable for modern performance assessment methodologies for which unbiased estimates of strength and stiffness are needed as a function of deformation and load history. The goal of this project is to fill the substantial gaps in knowledge noted above by developing curated numerical and visual experimental data on the seismic response of large-scale squat reinforced concrete wall specimens, validated tools for simulation of the seismic response of squat reinforced concrete walls, code-oriented design equations and improved prescriptive details to achieve specified levels of performance, fragility data suitable for immediate use in performance-based seismic assessment and design of conventional and nuclear structures, and teaching tools to effectively explain the resistance and failure mechanisms of squat walls. The unique experimental capabilities of the NEES equipment sites at Buffalo and Berkeley will be used to execute the large-scale cyclic and hybrid-simulation experiments that must be performed to develop the datasets required to prepare robust numerical simulation, design guidance, and loss modeling tools. Other researchers will be able to use the curated experimental results to further advance understanding with alternate theories and numerical models. Physical experiments followed by numerical simulations will be used to develop guidance for structural engineers and loss/risk modelers on how squat reinforced concrete walls in buildings and nuclear structures perform during earthquakes. This project will advance fundamental science and knowledge in engineering with substantial intellectual benefits to the structural engineering and loss modeling communities. Both disciplines will contribute to and benefit from the integrated physical and numerical simulation studies. The project will also train Ph.D. students, bring in undergraduate students from a teaching university, engage underrepresented students, impact building code development and performance-based seismic design, and outreach to a broad spectrum of end-users in the United States and abroad via web-accessed media, a Virtual Annual Meeting, and a Practice Committee composed of expert design professionals. Data from this project will be made available through the NEES data repository (http://www.nees.org)
	Narratives from the Researcher's Annual Reports:
	(Narrative Unavailable)
	Publications Resulting from this Research Project:
	(Publications Unavailable)

	Project Title:	Field Testing of a Non-ductile Reinforced Concrete Building in Turkey		Status: (status)
	Investigators:	PI: Ertugrul Taciroglu (UC Los Angeles)	NEES Sites:	UC Los Angeles
	Award Number:	NSF 0755333
	Award Amount:	$50,000	RPA Number:	(Unavailable)
	Abstract:
	(Abstract Unavailable)
	Narratives from the Researcher's Annual Reports:
	(Narrative Unavailable)
	Publications Resulting from this Research Project:
	(Publications Unavailable)

	Project Title:	TIPS - Tools to Facilitate Widespread Use of Isolation and Protective Systems, a NEES/E-Defense Collaboration		Status: (status)
	Investigators:	PI: Keri Ryan (Utah State) Co-PI: Stephen Mahin Co-PI: Deborah Moore-Russo Co-PI: Gilberto Mosqueda Co-PI: Lucy Arendt	NEES Sites:	UC Berkeley University at Buffalo
	Award Number:	NSF 0724208	Award Type:	NEESR-SG
	Award Amount:	$1,549,999	RPA Number:	(Unavailable)
	Abstract:
	This award is an outcome of the NSF 07-506 program solicitation George E. Brown, Jr. Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation (NEES) Research (NEESR) competition and includes Utah State University as the lead institution with subawards to the University of California, Berkeley; University of Wisconsin, Green Bay; and the University at Buffalo. Recent earthquakes have shown that even moderate ground shaking can produce large economic losses and major societal disruptions due to the widespread structural, nonstructural, and contents damage in code compliant buildings. Seismic isolation, in conjunction with energy dissipation, offers a simple and direct opportunity to control or even eliminate damage by simultaneously reducing deformations and accelerations. The United States once led the development and application of seismic isolation, but now this technology is more widely used in other countries. This project conducts a strategic assessment of the economic, technical, and procedural barriers to the widespread adoption of seismic isolation in the United States. NEES resources will be used for experimental and numerical simulation, data mining, networking and collaboration to understand the complex interrelationship among the factors controlling the overall performance of an isolated structural system. Innovative conceptual solutions will be developed for reducing construction costs (e.g., more effective placement of isolators and improved architectural detailing) and improving performance of isolation systems (e.g., use of new isolation devices). Coordinated experiments and computations will address behavioral uncertainties related to isolation devices, such as thermal heating, buckling and tensile capacity, geometric scaling, and strain rate effects. This project will involve shaking table and hybrid tests at the NEES experimental facilities at the University of California, Berkeley, and the University at Buffalo, aimed at understanding ultimate performance limits to examine the propagation of local isolation failures (e.g., bumping against stops, bearing failures, uplift) to the system level response. These tests, including a full-scale, three-dimensional test of an isolated 5-story steel building on the E-Defense shake table in Miki, Hyogo, Japan, will help fill critical knowledge gaps, validate assumptions regarding behavior and modeling, and provide essential proof-of-concept evidence regarding the importance of isolation technology. This integrated, holistic approach to cost-effectively and reliably limit the adverse impacts of earthquakes is also supportive of emerging trends in construction towards sustainable design. This knowledge will be integrated into a rational performance-based procedure that allows consistent comparison of the performance of alternative isolation and conventional systems in terms of safety, loss of use, and life cycle costs. The new knowledge, tools, and performance-based design framework will facilitate the effective application of seismic isolation technology, leading to substantial reductions in the losses and disruptive societal impacts associated with future earthquakes. Through a needs assessment survey and workshop series, decision makers, professional engineers, researchers from throughout the United States and Japan, and representatives from industry and regulatory bodies will share strategies, resources and technology, and synergistically foster application. Existing resources will be leveraged for activities to educate a national audience, ranging from K-12 to practitioners, about seismic isolation technology. The project will involve undergraduate students through the NEES REU and LSAMP programs, on-site experiments, and other research activities. Following the experiments, all data will be made available through the NEES data repository (http://www.nees.org).
	Narratives from the Researcher's Annual Reports:
	(Narrative Unavailable)
	Publications Resulting from this Research Project:
	(Publications Unavailable)

	Project Title:	Damage Detection of Reinforced Concrete Columns Subjected to Combined Actions		Status: (status)
	Investigators:	PI: Y.L. Mo (University of Houston) Co-PI: Gangbing Song	NEES Sites:	UI Urbana-Champlain University of Nevada, Reno
	Award Number:	NSF 0724190	Award Type:	NEESR Payload
	Award Amount:	$100,000	RPA Number:	(Unavailable)
	Abstract:
	This award is an outcome of the National Science Foundation 07-506 program solicitation entitled "George E. Brown, Jr. Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation (NEES) Research." This project is a payload project to National Science Foundation award 0530737 entitled "NEESR SG: Seismic Simulation and Design of Bridge Columns under Combined Actions, and Implications on System Response." This project will utilize the NEES equipment sites located at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the University of Nevada, Reno, as well as the structural laboratory at the University of Missouri, Rolla. The two major objectives of this payload project are (1) to verify smart aggregate technology, which has been developed by the project investigators, for damage detection of reinforced concrete columns under dynamic, pseudo-dynamic, and reverse-cyclic loading conditions, and (2) to quantitatively study damage on the reinforced columns under these three different loading conditions by correlating the smart aggregate based damage index and damage matrix with results from conventional methods such as visual inspection and measurements from strain gauges. A smart aggregate consists of a piezoelectric sensor/actuator encased in a small protective cylinder of concrete. The piezoceramic based smart aggregates are multi-functional and can perform damage detection with the help of a developed damage index and a damage index matrix. This approach has been verified to date by experiments under static loading conditions only. To further validate the functionalities of smart aggregates for damage detection, it is important to conduct experiments under different loading conditions, such as dynamic, pseudo-dynamic, and reverse-cyclic loadings. These smart aggregates can be easily integrated into the reinforced columns constructed for testing under National Science Foundation award CMMI-0530737. Outcomes of this research will be used to develop elementary and high school, undergraduate, and graduate level educational modules about the use of smart materials as sensors. Results from this research will impact implementation strategies for innovative materials in civil engineering projects. Data from this project will be made available through the NEES data repository (http://www.nees.org).
	Narratives from the Researcher's Annual Reports:
	(Narrative Unavailable)
	Publications Resulting from this Research Project:
	(Publications Unavailable)

	Project Title:	Framework for Development of Hybrid Simulation in an Earthquake Impact Assessment Context		Status: (status)
	Investigators:	PI: Bill Spencer (UIUC) Co-PI: Anil Agrawal Co-PI: Amr Elnashai	NEES Sites:	UI Urbana-Champlain
	Award Number:	NSF 0724172	Award Type:	NEESR-SD
	Award Amount:	$199,999	RPA Number:	(Unavailable)
	Abstract:
	This award is an outcome of the National Science Foundation 07-506 program solicitation "George E. Brown, Jr. Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation (NEES) Research" competition. The objective of this project is to develop an earthquake impact assessment framework that integrates hybrid simulation with free-field and structure sensor measurements, system identification-based model updating technology, probabilistic fragility analysis, and existing earthquake loss assessment software. Earthquake impact assessment is the basis for post-earthquake emergency response and recovery planning. A pilot implementation of the earthquake impact assessment framework will be conducted using the instrumented Bill E. Emerson Memorial Bridge located in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. Algorithms will be developed or adapted and communication protocols formulated to link sensor measurements directly into the hybrid system. Free field measurements will be used to characterize the hazard at the site and define strong motion records, and the structural sensors used to tune the bridge-foundation-soil model. Hybrid simulations will be undertaken using the model and input motion, while changing the design of one or more (up to three) of the supporting piers. The response of the bridge, with variation of the ground motion and pier response, will be used to derive fragility relationships which, with the hazard, will be used to estimate earthquake impact. In this manner, the relatively mature subdisciplines responsible for developing the above components will be tested in an integrated manner to assess and mitigate earthquake losses. This project will utilize the one-fifth scale loading and boundary condition boxes at the NEES equipment site at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and leverage significant resources through other projects funded by the Missouri Department of Transportation, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Federal Highway Administration, and Mid-America Earthquake Center headquartered at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. This project will provide a stimulus to seismologists, geotechnical and structural earthquake engineers, and structural control and impact assessment experts to improve current algorithms to produce more reliable assessment of losses that underpin seismic mitigation, response, and recovery planning. The source code for the framework and the graphical user interface will be archived in NEESforge (the NEES software repository available at http://www.nees.org) and will include an example application to the Cape Girardeau Bridge. In addition, data from this project will be made publicly available through the NEES data repository (http://www.nees.org).
	Narratives from the Researcher's Annual Reports:
	(Narrative Unavailable)
	Publications Resulting from this Research Project:
	(Publications Unavailable)

	Project Title:	Behavior and Design of Cast-in-Place Anchors under Simulated Seismic Loading		Status: (status)
	Investigators:	PI: Jian Zhao (U. Wisconsin-Milwaukee) Co-PI: Bahram Shahrooz	NEES Sites:	UI Urbana-Champlain
	Award Number:	NSF 0724097	Award Type:	NEESR-II
	Award Amount:	$374,738	RPA Number:	(Unavailable)
	Abstract:
	This award is an outcome of the NSF 07-506 program solicitation ''George E. Brown, Jr. Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation (NEES) Research (NEESR)'' competition and includes the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (lead institution) and the University of Cincinnati (subaward). This project will utilize the NEES equipment site at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Headed anchors/studs are commonly used in structures to connect steel members (e.g., columns, girders, or braces) and concrete elements (e.g., foundations, walls, or columns, respectively). The concrete elements may experience substantial damage (e.g., large cracking) during an earthquake. Understanding the behavior of anchors in cracked concrete is a prerequisite to ensuring satisfactory seismic performance and safety of structures. Current seismic design guidelines, represented by Appendix D of the American Concrete Institute 318-05 document, are not adequate for the design of headed anchors/studs in significantly cracked concrete. The design provisions tacitly rely on reserved capacity of anchors and perceived ductile failure modes due to steel fracture. Both of these rationales are questionable because of the limited data for anchor behavior under seismic loading. In addition, the interaction equations for anchors under combined cyclic tension-shear have not been verified experimentally. As a result, many anchor connections, including those taking advantage of additional reinforcement around the anchors, are often implemented in practice without supporting experimental data. The knowledge gap is due partly to the limited experimental equipment available for such testing before the NEES facilities became operational in 2004. This project will investigate the fundamental behavior of headed anchors/studs under simulated seismic loading and verify and improve the anchor connection details commonly seen in practice. The project will develop connection interface models to improve model-based simulations and to assist in the development of performance-based engineering methodologies. Particularly, this research clarifies the current capacity design philosophy, redefines the definition of ductile failure modes, and evaluates the interaction equation for anchors under cyclic tension-shear. The research also explores extending the existing design equations to anchors embedded in concrete members that may experience significant damage. With the fundamental knowledge on single anchor behavior under seismic load, two typical anchor connections, which have been used in practice without justification, will be evaluated experimentally, and connection details with improved performance characteristics will be developed and verified. Recommendations for effective use of supplemental reinforcement for improving the capacity and ductility of anchor connections will be made, and design guidelines, along with examples, will be generated for engineers. This research will impact the design and safety of a wide range of structures that utilize anchor connections, such as bridges and water and power supply lines. Education activities will be coordinated with NEES Consortium, Inc. Following the experiments, all data will be made available through the NEES data repository (http://www.nees.org).
	Narratives from the Researcher's Annual Reports:
	(Narrative Unavailable)
	Publications Resulting from this Research Project:
	(Publications Unavailable)

	Project Title:	Measurement of the Strength of Liquefied Soil in Physical Models		Status: (status)
	Investigators:	PI: Mandar Dewoolkar (University of Vermont) Co-PI: Pedro de Alba	NEES Sites:	UC Davis
	Award Number:	NSF 0724080	Award Type:	NEESR Payload
	Award Amount:	$99,985	RPA Number:	(Unavailable)
	Abstract:
	This research is an outcome of the National Science Foundation 07-506 program solicitation "George E. Brown, Jr. Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation (NEES) Research" competition. This project is a payload to National Science Foundation award 0530478, "NEESR-GC: Seismic Risk Mitigation for Port Systems," and will utilize the tests being conducted by award 0530478 in the NEES geotechnical centrifuge at the University of California, Davis. This project is led by the University of Vermont and includes a subaward to the University of New Hampshire. It has long been observed that saturated sands subjected to shock or earthquake loading experience drastic loss of strength and behave as heavy fluids, gradually regaining strength as internal water pressures dissipate. As long as the liquefied state persists, the soil will flow down slopes, producing destructive landslides and large drag forces on obstacles such as piled foundations. Modeling this behavior for risk studies and engineering design, however, requires adequate measurements of how shearing strength loss and its eventual recovery evolve as internal water pressures build up and subsequently dissipate. There are currently no full-scale field measurements of these strength changes to guide development of such models; existing field case histories are limited to observing the final damage produced by the liquefaction process. Controlled laboratory measurements would be desirable, but the onset of liquefaction is accompanied by such large strains that soil samples in conventional laboratory tests become so drastically deformed that reliable strength measurements can no longer be made. As a first step in measuring the evolving behavior of liquefied sands, it is envisioned that the shear strength of liquefying sand can be measurable in-flight in the NEES geotechnical centrifuge model using a thin coupon (plate, about 25 millimeters by 25 millimeters by 1.5 millimeters) pulled horizontally through the soil model, with its major dimensions parallel to the base of the model. The large strains and strain rates associated with liquefaction flow failures would thus be simulated by moving the coupon relative to the sand, through and after the shaking until the excess pore pressures dissipate. By measuring the drag force on the coupon, it will be possible to observe the evolution of the soil shear strength as it decreases to a minimum (residual strength) and subsequently increases as pore pressures dissipate. The centrifuge models will provide realistic field-scale stresses and boundary conditions, and the dense array of instrumentation will facilitate observations to be made on the strength changes in the liquefying sand from beginning to end of simulated earthquakes. The results would also be used to validate companion ring shear and modified cyclic triaxial testing. The combined results of a series of centrifuge and small-scale laboratory experiments will provide guidance on how to simulate the large-scale tests in smaller laboratory apparatus, thus making it easier to study the behavior of other soil types, such as silty and clayey sands, during liquefaction both for general studies and for specific engineering design purposes. A simple yet rational model for predicting the rate-dependent evolution of shearing strength of granular soils as pore pressures build up and the soil mass deforms will be developed. This will permit more accurate simulation of such problems as estimating the forces exerted by liquefied soil on obstacles like pile-supported structures, and the prediction of flow slide behavior in general. These results are expected to give designers enhanced understanding of how to choose residual strength values for remediation of earth structures. Equipment required to conduct the payload tests will be designed and built by a group of undergraduate mechanical and electrical engineering students at the University of Vermont as their senior capstone design project, and calibrated before installation by a civil engineering undergraduate student. The companion ring shear and modified cyclic triaxial tests will be carried out by a civil engineering graduate student at the University of New Hampshire. Data from this project will be archived in the NEES data repository (http://www.nees.org).
	Narratives from the Researcher's Annual Reports:
	(Narrative Unavailable)
	Publications Resulting from this Research Project:
	(Publications Unavailable)

	Project Title:	Damage Detection and Health Monitoring of Buried Pipelines after Earthquake-Induced Ground Movement		Status: (status)
	Investigators:	PI: Radoslaw Michalowski (U of Michigan Ann Arbor) Co-PI: W. Jason Weiss Co-PI: Russell Green Co-PI: Jerome Lynch Co-PI: Aaron Bradshaw	NEES Sites:	Cornell University
	Award Number:	NSF 0724022	Award Type:	NEESR-SG
	Award Amount:	$1,599,997	RPA Number:	(Unavailable)
	Abstract:
	This proposed research is an outcome of the National Science Foundation 07-506 program solicitation "George E. Brown, Jr. Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation (NEES) Research" competition. This project is led by the University of Michigan and includes subawards to Merrimack College and Purdue University. This project will utilize the NEES lifeline experimental facilities at Cornell University. The assessment of damage to lifelines after natural disasters, such as earthquakes, is a crucial component of emergency response and rescue efforts. Of particular importance is the water supply system, as water is an important survival resource. Even minor damage to water pipelines can result in contamination and epidemic outbreaks. Water is transmitted in concrete and metal pipes, which are vulnerable to damage caused by ground motions; it is proposed that damage detection methods be devised for both kinds of pipes. Quick assessment of the integrity of these pipelines is necessary for first planning the recovery mission and subsequent infrastructure reconstruction. The long-term monitoring of the structural health of pipelines is also an important component of infrastructure maintenance. A challenge in damage assessment to lifelines is in the fact that most pipelines are buried in soil. This proposal will develop methods for the detection of damage to concrete and metal pipelines caused by permanent ground displacement. It is envisioned that future lifelines will be smart structures built of materials with self-sensing capabilities, and wireless techniques will be used to transmit the information-carrying signal to the ground surface. The research proposed has three components: soil-structure interaction of pipelines subjected to ground movement, material research and design (particularly self-sensing concrete), and information technology focused on data gathering, processing and transfer. The broad impacts of this research on society will come through increased capabilities of damage assessment to lifelines after natural disasters, and through better long-term health monitoring methods. A unique aspect of this project is the involvement of the project team in an outreach program through the Hands-On Museum in Ann Arbor, Michigan and the Sciencenter in Ithaca, New York, where a young audience can be directly reached and educated on the issues of engineering and the nation's infrastructure. Data from this project will be made available through the NEES data repository (http://www.nees.org).
	Narratives from the Researcher's Annual Reports:
	(Narrative Unavailable)
	Publications Resulting from this Research Project:
	(Publications Unavailable)

	Project Title:	Soil Improvement Strategies to Mitigate Impact of Seismic Ground Failures via Novel Integration of Experiment and Simulation		Status: (status)
	Investigators:	PI: Scott Olson (UIUC) Co-PI: Youssef Hashash Co-PI: Carmine Polito	NEES Sites:	UI Urbana-Champlain
	Award Number:	NSF 0723697	Award Type:	NEESR-SG
	Award Amount:	$523,998	RPA Number:	(Unavailable)
	Abstract:
	This award is an outcome of the National Science Foundation 07-506 program solicitation "George E. Brown, Jr. Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation (NEES) Research" competition. This project is led by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and includes a subaward to Valparaiso University. Seismically-induced ground failures are a pervasive and growing source of economic loss from earthquakes. Concurrently, the nation's growing infrastructure needs demand more and larger bridges with increased spans and traffic volumes, thus requiring the use of large, stiff foundations such as large diameter shaft groups or gravity caissons. When seismically-induced ground failures occur, these foundations must contend with large, but unknown lateral forces. A common solution is to conservatively remediate large blocks of soil susceptible to failure, which involves high construction costs, increased construction time, and greater environmental impacts. This project will evaluate novel ground improvement geometries, such as chevrons and arches, to "deflect" laterally moving soil thereby reducing: (1) lateral loads on large foundation elements; (2) ground improvement costs; and (3) time and environmental impacts. This will be accomplished via an innovative integration of centrifuge experiments (performed at the NEES equipment site at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute) and Self-Learning Simulations (SelfSim) using the Open System for Earthquake Engineering Simulation software. This integration is termed "Simulation-designed Experiment - Experiment-driven Simulation" (SDE-EDS). This novel integration will result in robust mitigation strategies for seismically-induced ground failure that can be implemented in a performance-based earthquake engineering environment. Besides reducing societal impacts from ground failures by reducing ground improvement costs, environmental impacts, and construction time, other broader impacts include: (1) opening new avenues for future performance-based earthquake engineering studies involving foundation performance and ground improvement; and (2) initiating an educational exchange between Valparaiso University and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to expand student exposure to research and better prepare them for practice. Data from this project will be made available through the NEES data repository (http://www.nees.org).
	Narratives from the Researcher's Annual Reports:
	(Narrative Unavailable)
	Publications Resulting from this Research Project:
	(Publications Unavailable)

	Project Title:	Simulation of the Seismic Performance of Nonstructural Systems		Status: (status)
	Investigators:	PI: Emmanuel Maragakis (Univ. of Nevada-Reno) Co-PI: Robert Reitherman Co-PI: Steven French Co-PI: Andre Filiatrault Co-PI: Tara Hutchinson	NEES Sites: