The Earthquake Engineering Online Archive

Nonlinear response of simple structural systems to strong ground motion records from the 2004 Niigata-ken Chuetsu earthquakes

Sakai, Junichi; Mahin, Stephen A.

UCB/EERC-2004/02, Earthquake Engineering Research Center, University of California, Berkeley, 2004, 102 pages (400/E177/2004-02)

In October 2004, a series of destructive earthquakes struck Japan in the region of central Niigata Prefecture. Reports indicated that 45 railway bridge columns were damaged near the site of the first-ever derailment of a Shinkansen train (Bullet Train). Spalling of concrete, fracture of transverse reinforcement and buckling of longitudinal reinforcement were observed. Ground motions recorded during the shocks provide valuable information to help understand the effects of near-fault ground motions on engineered structures and to upgrade seismic design criteria.

Available online: http://nisee.berkeley.edu/documents/EERC/EERC-04-02.pdf (10 MB)