Preliminary report of the 2011 off the Pacific coast of Tohoku Earthquake *

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Takewaki / J Zhejiang Univ-Sci A (Appl Phys & Eng) 211 12(5):327-334 327 Journal of Zhejiang University-SCIENCE A (Applied Physics & Engineering) ISSN 1673-565X (Print); ISSN 1862-1775 (Online) www.zju.edu.cn/jzus; www.springerlink.com E-mail: jzus@zju.edu.cn Preliminary report of the 211 off the Pacific coast of Tohoku Earthquake * Izuru TAKEWAKI (Department of Architecture and Architectural Engineering, Kyoto University, Kyotodaigaku-Katsura, Nishikyo-ku, Kyoto 615-854, Japan) E-mail: takewaki@archi.kyoto-u.ac.jp Received Apr. 2, 211; Revision accepted Apr. 21, 211; Crosschecked Apr. 2, 211 Abstract: On March 11, 211, eastern Japan was shaken by the 211 off the Pacific coast of Tohoku Earthquake (the Great East Japan Earthquake). Almost 3 people have been killed or are missing as a result of that earthquake and the subsequent monster tsunami, as of April 11, 211. This paper reports several aspects of this devastating earthquake. It has been reported that long-period ground motions, which had been predicted by many researchers, occurred in Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka. The response characteristics of high-rise buildings to the recorded long-period ground motions are discussed from the viewpoint of resonance and critical excitation. It is shown that high-hardness rubber dampers are very effective in the reduction of vibration duration in addition to the reduction in vibration amplitude. Key words: Tohoku Earthquake, Disaster, Long-period ground motion, High-rise building, Critical excitation, Tsunami doi:1.1631/jzus.a11111 Document code: A CLC number: P315 1 Introduction The most devastating, killer earthquake in Japan after the 1923 Great Kanto earthquake occurred on March 11, 211 (Architectural Institute of Japan, 211). The moment magnitude is 9., which is the largest so far in Japan. It is said that the recording system for the low-frequency component of ground motions was not sufficient in Japan and records outside Japan were used to determine the magnitude. Almost 3 people were killed or are missing as a result of this earthquake and the subsequent monster tsunami, as of April 11, 211. The maximum height of the tsunami is reported to have been almost 4 m. It is remarkable in this earthquake that the number of collapsed or damaged buildings and houses remains unclear because most of the damage resulted from the tsunami. * Project (No. 2136267) supported by the Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research of Japan Society for the Promotion of Science Zhejiang University and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 211 This paper explains the characteristics of this earthquake and discusses the response characteristics of super high-rise buildings (4 to 6 stories) in Shinjuku, Tokyo, during this earthquake from the viewpoint of long-period ground motion. The issue of long-period ground motion and its impact on the structural design of buildings was raised in Mexico, the USA and Japan during the 198s and 199s (Heaton et al., 1995; Kamae et al., 24; Ariga et al., 26). A set of simulated long-period ground motions was provided in December, 21 by the Japanese Government (MLIT (the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism), 21) for the retrofit of existing high-rise buildings and as a design guideline for new high-rise buildings. In this paper the assumed 4- and 6-story steel buildings were subjected to the long-period ground motion recorded in Shinjuku, Tokyo, during the 211 off the Pacific coast of Tohoku Earthquake. The criticality of the long-period ground motions can be investigated based on the theory of critical

328 Takewaki / J Zhejiang Univ-Sci A (Appl Phys & Eng) 211 12(5):327-334 excitation (Drenick, 197; Takewaki, 24; 26; 28). This theory is intended to overcome the difficulty resulting from the uncertainty of earthquake ground motions (Geller et al., 1997; Stein, 23). The credible bounds of input energy responses are obtained by using the critical excitation method with constraints on the power of acceleration and velocity. It is shown that long-period ground motions can be controlled primarily by the velocity power and that the ground motion recorded in Tokyo during the 211 off the Pacific coast of Tohoku Earthquake actually included fairly large long-period wave components. Science and Disaster Prevention (NIED), Japan) are shown in Fig. 5. It is reported that ground acceleration over 2.5g was recorded in Tsukidate, Kurihara City, Miyagi Prefecture (Fig. 6). However, it is also made clear that the predominant period of this ground motion is smaller than.3 s and this ground motion did not affect most buildings so much (Fig. 7). 3 Response simulation of super high-rise buildings in Tokyo 3.1 Ground motions in Tokyo Fig. 8 shows the velocity waveforms of the long-period ground motion recorded at K-NET, 2 Characteristics of the 211 off the Pacific coast of Tohoku Earthquake First the characteristics of the 211 off the Pacific coast of Tohoku Earthquake are described. The fault slip area and the slip magnitude are shown in Fig. 1. The comparison of the slip fault size is shown in Fig. 2 comparing the Sumatra earthquake 24, the Great Kanto earthquake 1923, the Hyogoken-Nanbu earthquake 1995, and the 211 off the Pacific coast of Tohoku Earthquake. Because the fault slip area was huge in this earthquake, extremely wide areas of eastern Japan were affected by this earthquake. The representative ground motions along the Pacific coast of eastern Japan are illustrated in Fig. 3. It can be observed that two or more waveforms exist in some areas and the duration of most ground motion is over 2 min. This means that the fault slips occurred repeatedly in wide areas. Actually, it is reported that three main fault slips occurred in this series of events. Fig. 4 indicates the epicenter map of earthquakes during the 3 days after March 1. The maximum ground accelerations and velocities from K-NET and KiK-net (National Research Institute for Earth 41 N 4 N 39 N 38 N 37 N 36 N 35 N 14 E 141 E 142 E 143 E 144 E 145 E Fig. 1 Stations used for inversion and slip distribution taken from NIED (211a) Red: K-NET stations, blue: KiK-net borehole stations. A red arrow displays the epicenter. Fault model: strike: 195, dip: 13 ; size: 51 km 21 km. Results: M=3.28 123 N m (Mw=8.9), largest slip: 23 m. This is a preliminary result and it will be updated 5 Tohoku Earthquake 211 2 1 1 Sumatra earthquake 24 13 5 Great Kanto earthquake 1923 Hyogoken-Nanbu earthquake 1995 4x1 Fig. 2 Comparison of slip fault size comparing the Sumatra earthquake 24, Great Kanto earthquake 1923, Hyogoken-Nanbu earthquake 1995 (Kobe) and 211 off the Pacific coast of Tohoku Earthquake (data from Asahi Newspaper (211a)) (unit: km)

Takewaki / J Zhejiang Univ-Sci A (Appl Phys & Eng) 211 12(5):327-334 Fig. 3 Characteristics of ground motions taken from NIED (211a) The first phase is not visible The second phase is predominant Both phases are distinct The first phase is predominant Characteristics of near-source ground motions growth characteristics of phases at some stations (FKS13, FKS4, Peak ground velocity (PGV) Peak ground acceleration (PGA) 45 N 45 N 4 N 4 N Fig. 5 Maximum ground acceleration and velocity from K-NET and KiK-net taken from NIED (211c) (Fig. 4 is on the next page) 35 N 35 N 3 N 3 N 13 E 135 E 14 E 145 E 13 E 135 E 14 E 145 E 329

33 Takewaki / J Zhejiang Univ-Sci A (Appl Phys & Eng) 211 12(5):327-334 Acceleration (gal) 3 2 1-1 -2-3 Acceleration (gal) Acceleration (gal) 3 2 1-1 -2-3 3 (c) 2 1-1 -2-3 5 1 15 2 25 3 Time (s) Fig. 4 Epicenter map during the 3 days after March 11 taken from NIED (211b) (Fig. 5 is on the previous page) Fig. 6 Acceleration record at Tsukidate (MYG4) in Kurihara City, Miyagi Prefecture exhibiting the maximum ground acceleration (2933 gal: synthesized from three components) among those in K-NET and KiK-net stations taken from NIED (211c) NS component; EW component; (c) UD component 1 TKY7 211/3/11 14:47:9 Velocity response spectrum (m/s) Acceleration response spectrum (m/s 2 ) 1..1 1 1 1 1..1 1 2 4 6 8 1 2 4 6 8 1 Velocity (cm/s) 2.44E+1-2.44E+1 2.31E+1-2.31E+1 1.22E+1-1.22E+1 (c) 1 2 3 4 5 6 Time (s) Fig. 7 Velocity and acceleration response spectra for 5% damping of the ground motions recorded at Tsukidate (MYG4) taken from NIED (211c) Fig. 8 Long-period ground motion recorded at K-NET, Shinjuku Station (TKY7) taken from NIED (211a) NS component; EW component; (c) UD component Shinjuku Station (TKY7). It can be observed that the maximum ground velocity attains about.25 m/s and the ground shaking continues for over several minutes. The corresponding velocity response spectra are shown in Fig. 9. It is understood that shaking of a period of 5 6 s is predominant in addition to 2 s. In order to investigate further the characteristics of that record, the Fourier amplitude spectra of acceleration and velocity records have been computed. Figs. 1 and 11show the Fourier amplitude spectra of accelerations and velocities, respectively. It can be observed that the velocity is predominant in longer

Takewaki / J Zhejiang Univ-Sci A (Appl Phys & Eng) 211 12(5):327-334 331 Sv (cm/s) 6 5 4 3 2 1 1-1 1 1 1 1 2 1-1 1 1 1 1 2 Period (s) Period (s) Sv (cm/s) 6 5 4 3 2 1 Sv (cm/s) 12 1 8 6 4 2 (c) 1-1 1 1 1 1 2 1-1 1 1 1 1 2 Period (s) Period (s) Fig. 9 Velocity response spectra of ground motions at Shinjuku Station (TKY7) taken from NIED (211a) EW component, 5% damping; NS component, 5% damping; (c) EW component, 1% damping; (d) NS component, 1% damping Sv (cm/s) 12 1 8 6 4 2 (d) Fourier spectrum of acceleration (m/s) 5. 4. 3. 2. 1. Fourier spectrum of acceleration (m/s) 5. 4. 3. 2. 1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Fig. 1 Fourier amplitude spectra of acceleration ground motion at K-NET, Shinjuku Station (TKY7) NS component; EW component Fourier spectrum of velocity (m) 4. 3. 2. 1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Fourier spectrum of velocity (m) 4. 3. 2. 1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Fig. 11 Fourier amplitude spectra of velocity ground motion at K-NET, Shinjuku Station (TKY7) NS component; EW component

332 Takewaki / J Zhejiang Univ-Sci A (Appl Phys & Eng) 211 12(5):327-334 period ranges. Fig. 12 presents the comparison of the actual input energies (5% damping), the credible bounds (Takewaki, 24; 26) for acceleration constraints (acceleration power (Housner and Jennings, 1975)) and the credible bounds for velocity constraints (velocity power (Housner and Jennings, 1975)) for NS component and EW component. The intersection point indicates the predominant period. 4 s and 6 s are such predominant periods and this supports the idea that the ground motion recorded at K-NET, Shinjuku Station (TKY7) actually included fairly large long-period wave components. For comparison, Fig. 13 shows the corresponding figures for El Centro NS 194 and JMA Kobe NS 1995 (Hyogoken-Nanbu earthquake). The intersection point exists in rather shorter period ranges. 3.2 Response simulation of super high-rise buildings in Tokyo In order to investigate the influence of this ground motion on high-rise buildings, two assumed buildings of 4 and 6 stories have been treated. The 4-story building has the fundamental natural period of T 1 =4.14 s and the 6-story building has that of T 1 =5.92 s. The damping ratio is 1. Furthermore, it is well accepted that the passive dampers are very effective in the reduction of earthquake response in high-rise buildings. The 211 off the Pacific coast of Tohoku Earthquake may be the first plate-type earthquake to have affected super high-rise buildings in mega cities. For the purpose of clarifying the merit of visco-elastic dampers (high-hardness rubber 2 2 Input energy per unit mass (m 2 /s 2 ) 15. 1 5. 2 4 6 8 Fig. 12 Actual input energies (5% damping), the credible bounds for acceleration constraints and the credible bounds for velocity constraints for the ground motion at K-NET, Shinjuku Station (TKY7) (Takewaki, 24; 26) NS component; EW component Input energy per unit mass (m 2 /s 2 ) 15. 1 5. 2 4 6 8 2 2 Input energy per unit mass (m 2 /s 2 ) 15. 1 5. 1 2 3 4 Fig. 13 Actual input energies (5% damping), the credible bounds for acceleration constraints and the credible bounds for velocity constraints for El Centro NS 194 and JMA Kobe NS 1995 Input energy per unit mass (m 2 /s 2 ) 15. 1 5. 1 2 3 4

Takewaki / J Zhejiang Univ-Sci A (Appl Phys & Eng) 211 12(5):327-334 333 dampers (Tani et al., 29)), the buildings of 4 and 6 stories with and without these high-hardness rubber dampers have been subjected to the long-period ground motion recorded at K-NET, Shinjuku Station (TKY7). Fig. 14 shows the maximum story displacements and interstory drifts of an assumed 4-story building of T 1 =4.14 s to ground motion at Shinjuku Station (TKY7) (frame response: elastic or elastic-plastic). On the other hand, Fig. 15 illustrates the maximum story displacements and interstory drifts of an assumed 6-story building of T 1 =5.92 s to ground motion at Shinjuku Station (EW component of TKY7) (frame response: elastic-plastic, with or without high-hardness rubber dampers (Tani et al., 29)). It can be observed that the high-hardness rubber dampers are very effective in the reduction of vibration amplitude. Fig. 16 presents the comparison of time histories of top-story displacements of an assumed 6-story building of T 1 =5.92 s to ground motion at Shinjuku Station (EW component of TKY7) during the 211 off the Pacific coast of Tohoku Earthquake (frame response: elastic-plastic, with or without high-hardness rubber dampers). It can be understood that the high-hardness rubber dampers can damp the building vibration in an extremely short duration. It is reported recently (Asahi Newspaper, 211b) that a 54-story building (height=223 m; fundamental natural period=6.2 s (short-span direction), 5.2 s (long-span direction)) with passive oil dampers in Shinjuku experienced a top displacement of 1.8 m during the 211 off the Pacific coast of Tohoku Earthquake. The vibration duration was over 13 min. It is also stated that that building would have undergone a top displacement of 1.4 m if the passive dampers had not been installed. This fact corresponds well with the result explained above. elastic-plastic EW elastic EW elastic EW elastic-plastic EW Fig. 14 Maximum story displacement and interstory drift of an assumed 4-story building of T 1 =4.14 s to ground motion at Shinjuku Station (TKY7) during the 211 off the Pacific coast of Tohoku earthquake (frame response: elastic or elastic-plastic) Fig. 15 Maximum story displacement and interstory drift of an assumed 6-story building of T 1 =5.92 s to ground motion at Shinjuku Station (EW component of TKY7) during the 211 off the Pacific coast of Tohoku earthquake (frame response: elastic-plastic, with or without high-hardness rubber dampers) Fig. 16 Comparison of time histories of top-story displacement of an assumed 6-story building of T 1 =5.92 s to ground motion at Shinjuku Station (EW component of TKY7) during the 211 off the Pacific coast of Tohoku earthquake (frame response: elastic-plastic, with or without high-hardness rubber dampers)

334 Takewaki / J Zhejiang Univ-Sci A (Appl Phys & Eng) 211 12(5):327-334 4 Conclusions The following conclusions have been obtained. 1. The 211 off the Pacific coast of Tohoku Earthquake was the most devastating earthquake in Japan after the 1923 Great Kanto earthquake. This earthquake is the first one which attacked mega cities after the construction of super high-rise buildings. However, this earthquake is not the most influential one because the influence depends on the plate (including epicenter) on which mega cities lie. 2. The long-period ground motion recorded at K-NET, Shinjuku Station (TKY7), Tokyo contains fairly large long-period wave components and has a frequency content of broad band signals. This can be observed from not only the velocity response spectra (and Fourier spectra) but also from the earthquake input energy spectra taking into account the concept of the critical excitation method. 3. The high-hardness rubber dampers can damp the building vibration during long-period ground motions in an extremely shorter duration compared to a building without those dampers. 4. The word unpredictable is often used in Japan following this great earthquake. It may be true that the return period of this class of earthquake is 5 1 years and the use of this word may be accepted to some extent. However, the critical excitation method is expected to overcome this irrational concept in the future. Acknowledgements The author is grateful to Dr. S. YOSHITOMI, Mr. K. FUJITA and Mr. S. MURAKAMI of Kyoto University, Japan for conducting the energy computation to ground motions and the response analysis of high-rise buildings. The use of ground motion records at K-NET is also highly appreciated. References Architectural Institute of Japan, 211. Preliminary Reconnaissance Report on the 211 Off the Pacific Coast of Tohoku Earthquake, April 6 (in Japanese). Ariga, T., Kanno, Y., Takewaki, I., 26. Resonant behavior of base-isolated high-rise buildings under long-period ground motions. The Structural Design of Tall and Special Buildings, 15(3):325-338. [doi:1.12/tal.298] Asahi Newspaper, 211a. April 1 (in Japanese). Asahi Newspaper, 211b. Evening Edition, April 19 (in Japanese). Drenick, R.F., 197. Model-free design of aseismic structures. Journal of the Engineering Mechanics Division, ASCE, 96(4):483-493. Geller, R.J., Jackson, D.D., Kagan, Y.Y., Mulargia, F., 1997. Earthquakes cannot be predicted. Science, 275(536): 1616. [doi:1.1126/science.275.536.1616] Heaton, T.H., Hall, J.F., Wald, D.J., Halling, M.W., 1995. Response of high-rise and base-isolated buildings to a hypothetical M w 7. blind thrust earthquake. Science, 267(5195):26-211. [doi:1.1126/science.267.5195.26] Housner, G.W., Jennings, P.C., 1975. The Capacity of Extreme Earthquake Motions to Damage Structures. Structural and Geotechnical Mechanics, Hall, W.J. (Ed.), Prentice-Hall Englewood Cliff, NJ, p.12-116. Kamae, K., Kawabe, H., Irikura, K., 24. Strong Ground Motion Prediction for Huge Subduction Earthquakes Using a Characterized Source Model and Several Simulation Techniques. Proceedings of the 13th WCEE, Vancouver, Canada, Paper No. 655. MLIT (Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism), 21. Tentative Guideline for Retrofit and Design of Super High-Rise Buildings under Long-Period Ground Motion. Available from http://www.mlit.go.jp/report/ press/house5_hh_218.html (in Japanese) [Accessed on Jan. 11, 211] NIED (National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Prevention), 211a. 211 Off the Pacific Coast of Tohoku Earthquake, Strong Ground Motion, Emergency Meeting of Headquarters for Earthquake Research Promotion. Available from http://www.k-net.bosai.go.jp/ k-net/topics/tohokutaiheiyo_211311/nied_kyoshin2e. pdf [Accessed on Apr. 2, 211] NIED (National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Prevention), 211b. Recent Epicenter Map. Available from http://www.hinet.bosai.go.jp/hypomap/ (in Japanese) [Accessed on Apr. 2, 211] NIED (National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Prevention), 211c. 211 Off the Pacific Coast of Tohoku Earthquake, Strong Ground Motion. Available from http://www.kyoshin.bosai.go.jp/kyoshin/topics/ html211311144626/main_211311144626.html (in Japanese) [Accessed on Apr. 2, 211] Stein, R.S., 23. Earthquake conversations. Scientific American, 288(1):72-79. Takewaki, I., 24. Bound of earthquake input energy. Journal of Structural Engineering, ASCE, 13(9):1289-1297. [doi:1.161/(asce)733-9445(24)13:9(1289)] Takewaki, I., 26. Critical Excitation Methods in Earthquake Engineering. Elsevier. Takewaki, I., 28. Critical Excitation Methods for Important Structures. EURODYN, Southampton, England. Tani, T., Yoshitomi, S., Tsuji, M., Takewaki, I., 29. High-performance control of wind-induced vibration of high-rise building via innovative high-hardness rubber damper. The Structural Design of Tall and Special Buildings, 18(7):75-728. [doi:1.12/tal.457]