Seismic fragility analysis of suspended cable trays in civil buildings

The cable tray is a kind of non-structural component used to distribute the electric cable, which plays a vital role in maintaining the function of the building. Post-earthquake investigations proved that the collapse of the cable tray led to the loss of human life and business continuity. This study aims to understand the seismic fragility of typical suspended cable trays in civil buildings through full-scale shaking table tests and numerical simulation. Based on the shaking table test results, the damage states of the cable tray are defined. The finite element model for cable tray is established and verified by test results. The seismic fragility analysis of the cable tray is carried out by the incremental dynamic analysis method. The peak floor acceleration and the spectral acceleration are taken as intensity measures of seismic motions. The calculation results show that the peak floor acceleration is more suitable to be an intensity measure for the seismic fragility analysis of the cable tray. Seismic fragility curves of two typical types of cable trays are generated.

Automated summary

This study aims to understand the seismic fragility of typical suspended cable trays in civil buildings through full-scale shaking table tests and numerical simulation. By defining the damage states and establishing a finite element model verified by test results, the seismic fragility analysis of the cable tray is carried out using the incremental dynamic analysis method. The results show that the peak floor acceleration is more suitable as an intensity measure for the analysis, and seismic fragility curves are generated for two typical types of cable trays.