RISK ANALYSIS OF INDUSTRIAL STRUCTURES WITH HAZARDOUS MATERIALS UNDER SEISMIC INPUT

In this work, a methodology is presented for assessing seismic risk in industrial structures storing potentially hazardous chemicals. The components of a modular analysis software package specifically developed for this purpose are as follows: (a) Description of the seismic loading using synthetic accelerograms generated for various levels of peak ground acceleration (PGA) as white noise is filtered through layered soil; (b) Development of a finite element method (FEM) representation of the storage tank; (c) Derivation of a multi-degree-of-freedom (MDOF) stick model, which is based on matching key dynamic properties with those of the FEM model. In all cases, material non-linearities are taken into account; (d) Introduction of soil-structure-interaction (SSI) effects between tank and supporting ground; (e) Use of the Latin hypercube sampling method for probabilistic analyses of the structural system, whose stochastic parameters are the modulus of elasticity, the hardening parameter and the yield strength and (e) Generation of fragility curves for estimation of structural damage levels as functions of load intensity. The results generated herein are of interest in practical engineering design of industrial structures that pose a hazard in seismically prone regions.