A New Seismic Base Isolation System for High-Voltage Porcelain Post Insulators was developed
 

 
A new seismic base isolation system for high-voltage porcelain post insulators has been developed by Prof.Dr. Engin Orakdöğen and Prof.Dr.Ercan Yüksel. The study was published in Earthquake Spectra.
 
 
 
Vinyl Acetate Emission Rates and Explosions in Tank Farms in Dilovasi and Yumurtalik, Turkey: A Case Study
 

 
ITU Department of Disaster and Emergency Management program member Assoc.Prof.Dr. Didem Saloğlu Dertli's paper has been published. This paper is a new and pioneering study that will guide both the literature and industrial plants. The work has high originality and novelty.
 
 
Paper on Soil-Structure Interaction Effects and Seismic Performance of Buildings
 

 
A simplified probabilistic framework has been developed for assessing the seismic performance of soil-structure interaction systems. Using this framework, the expected level of damage that may be sustained by buildings located at soft soil sites can be estimated by considering the properties of the building as well as the soil-foundation system. This facilitates modeling the actual behavior of the system as a whole more accurately compared to traditional fixed base models. Moreover, it enables assessing the effectiveness of different strategies for improving the performance such as ground improvement, structural retrofitting or any combination of these.
 
 
 
New Paper | Risk Assessment for an Acetone Stroge Tank in a Chemical Plant in Istanbul, Turkey: Simulation of Dangerous Scenarios
 

 
The present paper examines a case study of different acetone release scenarios from a storage tank in a chemical plant. The article demonstrates the distribution modeling results using ALOHA software and presents the simulated models for toxic vapor zone, flammable zone of vapor cloud, vapor cloud explosion dispersion, evaporation puddle of acetone, also behavior of acetone during escape from a leak. This modeling can be accepted as highly appropriate and beneficial to avoid undesirable events that may cause loss of life.
 
 
New TÜBİTAK Funded Research Project: “A Holistic Risk Management Framework for Mitigation of Seismic and Climate-Related Losses in Buildings Stocks Monitored by Satellites and Smart Sensors (121M706)”
 

 
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ufuk Yazgan's new research project aimed at developing a holistic approach to identification of optimal risk mitigation strategies for building stocks, has been granted for funding by the TÜBİTAK 1001 Program. In the proposed approach, probable earthquake losses will be considered together with losses arising from thermal insulation deficiency, excessive ground deformations and flood induced damages. The complete set of potential losses will be considered jointly when making decisions regarding retrofitting of seismically deficient buildings. The data required for developing this holistic view of potential losses will be obtained using remote sensing technologies as well as local sensors attached to reference buildings.

 
 
 
Paper on Impact of Seismic Rupture Plane Uncertainty: The Case for 2020 Samos M6.9 Earthquake
 

 
Uncertainty associated with the geometry of the rupture plane of a seismic event is a critical issue that is often overlooked in seismic hazard assessment. After damaging earthquakes, identifying the geometry of the rupture plane is not a trivial task. Significantly different geometries can be obtained depending on the specific technique (e.g. finite-fault inversion, source scaling with CMT solution, geodetic observations) used. The results related to 2020 Samos Earthquake indicate that median ground motion intensities vary up to 60% depending on the assumed geometry and the relative location of the site of interest.
 
 
New Book Published | Seismic Isolation and Response Control
 

 
A new book titled “Seismic Isolation and Response Control” which has been co-authored by one of our Institute’s faculty member Assistant Professor Fatih Sutcu has been published by IABSE (International Association for Bridge and Structural Engineering).
 
 
 
A Combined Theoretical and Numerical Modeling Study of Cyclic Nonlinear Response of Sandy Seabed
 

 
ITU Department of Earthquake Engineering program member Assoc.Prof.Dr. Mehmet Barış Can Ülker’s paper “A Combined Theoretical and Numerical Modeling Study of Cyclic Nonlinear Response of Sandy Seabed” has been published. A combined theoretical-numerical study on dynamic response of sandy seabed soil focusing on nonlinear dynamic soil constitutive behavior is presented. 
 
 
On Understanding Hydromechanics of Unsaturated Soils: A Novel Model Accounting for Fully Coupled Hydro-Mechanical Behavior Including Hydraulic Hysteresis
 

 
ITU Department of Earthquake Engineering program member Assoc.Prof.Dr. Mehmet Barış Can Ülker’s paper has been accepted for presentation at the 20th Int. World Conference of Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering. A novel constitutive model accounting for two-way coupled hydro-mechanical behavior of unsaturated soils including hydraulic hysteresis is proposed.  The proposed model contributes to enhancing our knowledge on fully coupled hydro-mechanical behavior of unsaturated soils.
 
 
 
Modelling of Dynamic Response and İnstability of Caisson-Type Quay Wall–Soil System Under Waves
 

 
ITU Department of Earthquake Engineering program member Assoc.Prof.Dr. Mehmet Barış Can Ülker’s paper has been published. The dynamic response and instability of a low-permeability deformable caisson-type quay wall (CQW) with backfill soil exposed to standing waves is evaluated. The focus is on the dynamic response and instantaneous liquefaction of seabed and backfill around the CQW. This study aims at closing the knowledge gap about the wave-induced CQW–seabed response without the presence of a breakwater, as the bulk of the prior research has been done on CQWs considering earthquakes as the primary loading source.
 
 
New Project | Development of a New Generation Intelligent Constitutive Model for Modeling the Dynamic Behavior of Liquefiable Soils under Earthquake Excitations
 

 
Assoc.Prof.Dr. Mehmet Barış Can Ülker’s project will combine the disciplines of Artificial Intelligence in terms of Machine Learning and also Soil Dynamics to develop a "smart constitutive model" to model liquefaction of saturated granular soils under earthquake excitations. In addition, successful completion of the project will not only contribute to science and engineering, but also to the construction sector and indirectly to economy as well. The project is funded by The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK).
 
 
 
Symposium | 30 Ekim 2020 Samos (Sisam) Earthquake's Anniversary
 

 
ITU Disaster Management Institute organized an international On-Line Symposium that is dedicated to late Prof. Dr. İbrahim Demir who passed away on 6 May 2021 in the anniversary of Samos (Sisam) Mw 7.0 earthquake occurred on 30 October 2020. Many international esteemed experts in the fields of structural and earthquake engineering, seismology, seismotectonics and tsunami science shared their latest results at the symposium.