publications | Mike Dupuis

2025

Software Dev.
A Free Educational Software Application for the Design of Concrete Dam Components

Michael Dupuis

2025

Focused on design and analysis for concrete dam structures using a GUI and Python API

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Detailed design packages are required to ensure that structural components of concrete dams satisfy applicable design guidelines. These design packages are important for the design and analysis of appurtenant dam structures—such as concrete anchors, spillway and powerhouse slabs, retaining and training walls, powerhouse beams, and foundations—because they are the primary record of design and capacity checks by the engineer of record. However, these design checks are tedious and time consuming to complete, especially for unique one-off structural elements which are common for dams. Furthermore, project changes can require multiple iterations of a design concept which can result in repetition of these design checks prior to final design. Commercially available software programs are available for structural design checks, and partially address this problem; however, these programs suffer from three main shortcomings: (i) lack of an application programing interface limits the ability to rapid prototype design alternatives, (ii) awkward compilation of multiple structural components into well-organized project design documents, and (iii) trial student licences have limited durations and full licenses are not freely available. To address these shortcomings, I have developed a freely available educational software program which can be used as either a graphical user interface or as an application programming interface. The stand-alone graphical user interface requires no programming knowledge and can be run from a downloaded executable file. The application programming interface can be accessed as a Python module and provides additional power for engineers knowledgeable in Python to interact with the software directly through their own Python scripts. The software is provided for educational use only with the hope that it will motivate companies and organizations within the hydropower industry to develop similar technologies.
@article{dupuis2025structural, title = {A Free Educational Software Application for the Design of Concrete Dam Components}, author = {Dupuis, Michael}, year = {2025}, note = {Focused on design and analysis for concrete dam structures using a GUI and Python API}, }
Op. Modal Analysis
Performance Insights From Ambient Vibrations: Testing Across a Large Dam in Support of an Issue Evaluation Study

Michael Dupuis, Josh Corbett, Jack Harker, and 3 more authors

USSD Annual Conference Proceedings, 2025

Comprehensive ambient vibration testing conducted across a large dam to support issue evaluation study and structural performance assessment. In-draft submission for the 2025 USSD Annual Conference in Kansas City. (In Draft; Accepted)

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We present methods, insights, and lessons learned from an ambient vibration testing program that recorded data from 90 unique locations at a large dam in Oregon. This program was designed to validate the dynamic properties of an LS-DYNA model, which is being used to evaluate the dam’s response to earthquake ground motions. Results of the dynamic structural analysis will be used to inform an ongoing Issue Evaluation Study by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Conducted over four days during normal operating conditions—including spill and generation—the testing did not require forced excitation. A roadway along the dam’s crest remained open for three of the four testing days, resulting in sporadic vehicle-induced excitation of the dam, which proved useful in subsequent analyses. Data were collected from various critical structural components, including rockfill embankments, concrete piers, retaining walls, a tower, a concrete spillway, non-overflow sections, and a bedrock outcrop. Eleven recording instruments—four reference instruments and seven temporary instruments—were deployed for thirteen 40-minute-long test setups. Reference instruments, which remained stationary between test setups, made recordings which were used to synchronize results from across the dam. Temporary instruments recorded data from specific locations on each structural component to identify important local resonances and component interactions. The vibration data collected were successfully used in subsequent operational modal analyses to estimate the dam’s dynamic characteristics, such as mode shapes, modal frequencies, and damping.
@article{dupuis2025performance1, title = {Performance Insights From Ambient Vibrations: Testing Across a Large Dam in Support of an Issue Evaluation Study}, author = {Dupuis, Michael and Corbett, Josh and Harker, Jack and Prusi, Joel and MacDougall, Tom and Martinez, Brian}, year = {2025}, journal = {USSD Annual Conference Proceedings}, note = {Comprehensive ambient vibration testing conducted across a large dam to support issue evaluation study and structural performance assessment. In-draft submission for the 2025 USSD Annual Conference in Kansas City. (In Draft; Accepted)}, }
Op. Modal Analysis
Performance Insights From Ambient Vibrations: Unveiling the Dynamic Interplay of Structures in a Large Dam

Michael Dupuis, Brian Martinez, Tom MacDougall, and 1 more author

USSD Annual Conference Proceedings, 2025

Analysis of dynamic structural behavior in a large dam using ambient vibration data, highlighting interaction complexities. (In Draft; Accepted)

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Ambient vibration data acquired from 90 unique locations on a large dam were evaluated to investigate the dynamic behavior and system interactions of its structural components. This data collection program was designed to validate the dynamic properties of an LS-DYNA model, which is being used to evaluate the dam’s response to earthquake ground motions. Results of the dynamic structural analysis will be used to inform an ongoing Issue Evaluation Study by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Ambient vibration data were recorded over four days during normal operating conditions without forced excitation of the structure. Eleven recording instruments—four reference instruments and seven temporary instruments—were deployed for thirteen 40-minute-long test setups. These setups included locations along the right and left embankment roadways, within the three galleries (right retaining wall, lower gallery, and upper gallery), on various parts of all five spillway piers (trunnion anchor blocks, upper landing, and pier top), within the penstock hoist motor room, and at various elevations of the elevator tower. The ambient responses were evaluated based on their spectral content and power spectral densities were used to identify where dominant behavior occurs in the dam and its components. Interaction effects were identified by comparing resonances within the dam that manifested as split resonances, indicating coupling between the components. A systems approach was used to describe the results for the entire dam and how the individual components interact. Estimates of damping showed the greatest damping in the portions of the concrete dam adjacent to the embankments and the lowest damping at the interior piers. The results of the various analysis methods indicate that the dam is a highly coupled complex system with significant interactions between various components, which are expected to influence the seismic response of the structure.
@article{dupuis2025performance2, title = {Performance Insights From Ambient Vibrations: Unveiling the Dynamic Interplay of Structures in a Large Dam}, author = {Dupuis, Michael and Martinez, Brian and MacDougall, Tom and Corbett, Josh}, year = {2025}, journal = {USSD Annual Conference Proceedings}, note = {Analysis of dynamic structural behavior in a large dam using ambient vibration data, highlighting interaction complexities. (In Draft; Accepted)}, }

2024

Earthquakes
The 2023 New Zealand ground-motion database

Jesse A Hutchinson, Chuanbin Zhu, Brendon A Bradley, and 7 more authors

Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, 2024

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This article summarizes the development of the 2023 New Zealand ground‐motion database (NZGMDB). A preceding version was formally used as the central ground‐motion database in the ground‐motion characterization modeling for the 2022 New Zealand (NZ) National Seismic Hazard Model (NSHM) revision. The database contains ground motions for events with a moment magnitude greater than ∼3.0 from the years 2000 to the end of 2022. Several challenges associated with NZ earthquake source metadata are explained, including determination of earthquake location, magnitude, tectonic classification, and finite‐fault geometry, among others. The site table leverages the site database developed as a part of the 2022 NZ NSHM revision, and several definitions of source‐to‐site distance are computed for the propagation path table. The ground‐motion quality classification was initially assessed using a neural network. Subsequent waveform quality verification was conducted and additional quality criteria were enforced to ensure a sufficiently high‐quality database. Standard processing techniques were applied to the ground motions before intensity measure (IM) calculation. IMs in the database include peak ground acceleration, 5%‐damped pseudoacceleration response spectra, smoothed Fourier amplitude spectra, and other cumulative and duration‐related metrics. The NZGMDB is publicly available and routinely updated as new and higher quality data become available.
@article{hutchinson20242023, title = {The 2023 New Zealand ground-motion database}, author = {Hutchinson, Jesse A and Zhu, Chuanbin and Bradley, Brendon A and Lee, Robin L and Wotherspoon, Liam M and Dupuis, Michael and Schill, Claudio and Motha, Jason and Manea, Elena F and Kaiser, Anna E}, journal = {Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America}, volume = {114}, number = {1}, pages = {291--310}, year = {2024}, publisher = {Seismological Society of America}, }
Earthquakes
Subduction Megathrust Record Selection Assisted with a Deep-Learning-Based Model

Michael Dupuis, Claudio Schill, Mike Fairhurst, and 2 more authors

USSD Annual Conference Proceedings, 2024

Deep-learning model application for quality assessment of large-magnitude subduction earthquake ground-motion records

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High-quality large-magnitude subduction earthquake ground-motion records are needed as inputs for response history analysis of dams in regions adjacent to the Cascadia Subduction Zone. Quality assessment of candidate ground-motion records is time consuming if done manually and poorly handled by automation with conventional mathematical functions; therefore, a supervised deep-learning-based model was developed in a previous study to estimate the quality and minimum usable frequency of ground-motion records through training on 1,096 records from earthquakes in New Zealand, which is an active tectonic environment with crustal and subduction earthquakes. In that study, the model was found to perform well for small-to-moderate magnitude earthquake records from active shallow crustal, subduction slab, and subduction interface earthquakes; however, the model’s performance for large-magnitude earthquake records was not investigated. In this study, we evaluate the performance of the model for assessment of records from the 2010 M8.8 Maule and 2011 M9.1 Tohoku subduction interface earthquakes. We utilize high-quality processed subduction records and then superimpose various amplitudes of artificial background noise to degrade quality and then apply the model quality for quality classification. Eleven high-quality ground-motion records were selected based on the model results and then linearly scaled to a target spectral acceleration for a hypothetical site in British Columbia to produce a suite of large-magnitude subduction interface earthquake ground-motions suitable for structural response history analysis.
@article{dupuis2024subduction, title = {Subduction Megathrust Record Selection Assisted with a Deep-Learning-Based Model}, author = {Dupuis, Michael and Schill, Claudio and Fairhurst, Mike and Lee, Robin and Bradley, Brendon}, year = {2024}, journal = {USSD Annual Conference Proceedings}, note = {Deep-learning model application for quality assessment of large-magnitude subduction earthquake ground-motion records}, }

2023

Machine Learning
A deep-learning-based model for quality assessment of earthquake-induced ground-motion records

Michael Dupuis, Claudio Schill, Robin Lee, and 1 more author

Earthquake spectra, 2023

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High-quality earthquake ground-motion records are required for various applications in engineering and seismology; however, quality assessment of ground-motion records is time-consuming if done manually and poorly handled by automation with conventional mathematical functions. Machine learning is well suited to this problem, and a supervised deep-learning-based model was developed to estimate the quality of all types of ground-motion records through training on 1096 example records from earthquakes in New Zealand, which is an active tectonic environment with crustal and subduction earthquakes. The model estimates a quality and minimum usable frequency for each record component and can handle one-, two-, or three-component records. The estimations were found to match manually labeled test data well, and the model was able to accurately replicate manual quality classifications from other published studies based on the requirements of three different engineering applications. The component-level quality and minimum usable frequency estimations provide flexibility to assess record quality based on diverse requirements and make the model useful for a range of potential applications. We apply the model to enable automated record classification for 43,398 ground motions from GeoNet as part of the development of a new curated ground-motion database for New Zealand.
@article{dupuis2023deep, title = {A deep-learning-based model for quality assessment of earthquake-induced ground-motion records}, author = {Dupuis, Michael and Schill, Claudio and Lee, Robin and Bradley, Brendon}, journal = {Earthquake spectra}, volume = {39}, number = {4}, pages = {2492--2517}, year = {2023}, publisher = {SAGE Publications Sage UK: London, England}, }
Earthquakes
Progress towards hybrid broadband ground-motion simulation of megathrust earthquakes on the Hikurangi subduction zone

J Paterson, Michael Dupuis, Brendon Bradley, and 1 more author

2023

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The Hikurangi Subduction Zone in New Zealand can produce very large megathrust earthquakes similar to the 2004 Sumatra Mw9.2, 2010 Maule Mw8.8, and 2011 Tohoku Mw9.0 earthquakes. Although the associated ground motions would pose significant seismic hazard to much of New Zealand, the last known large earthquake of this type in New Zealand occurred around 1855 and therefore no observed ground-motion records are available. In this study, we present progress towards simulation of realistic ground motions from megathrust earthquakes along the Hikurangi Subduction Zone using physics-based hybrid broadband ground-motion simulation. Although ground-motion simulations have been previously performed for megathrust earthquakes on the Hikurangi Subduction Zone, this study is the first to incorporate simulation models validated using observed ground motions from subduction interface earthquakes in New Zealand. Ground-motion simulations will be conducted for probable scenarios to produce a distribution of ground-motion estimates of various intensity metrics for locations throughout New Zealand. Ground-motion sensitivity to rupture characteristics such as hypocentre location, subevent location, rupture velocity, and variation of subfault slip will be investigated and quantified. It is hoped that the interface-specific simulated waveforms and estimated ground-motion intensities will be useful for seismic hazard analysis, risk mitigation, and disaster preparedness.
@article{paterson2023progress, title = {Progress towards hybrid broadband ground-motion simulation of megathrust earthquakes on the Hikurangi subduction zone}, author = {Paterson, J and Dupuis, Michael and Bradley, Brendon and Lee, Robin}, year = {2023}, }
Dam Safety
Estimated Rates of Failure for Dams in the United States

Michael Dupuis, Lucas Melo, and Glenn Rix

Dam Safety Journal, 2023

Presented at the Dam Safety 2023 Conference

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Annual rates of failure which consider the effect of dam type, construction era, and dam age were estimated for dams in the United States by examining the National Inventory of Dams and the Worldwide Historical Dam Failures Database. Based on information from these databases, there has been a total of 5,628,516 dam-years (sum of years in service for all dams), 2,694 dam failures, and thus 0.00048 dam failures per dam-year. Concrete and earthfill dams both have less than 0.0005 failures per dam-year; masonry and rockfill dams have more than 0.001 failures per dam-year and timber dams have more than 0.0035 failures per dam-year. For all dam types, failures per dam-year are greatest in the first five years after construction and steadily decrease with increasing dam age except for earthfill and rockfill dams. Earthfill and rockfill dams reach the lowest rates of failures per dam-year when they are between 20-50 years old with an increase in failure rate, especially for earthfill dams, after 50 years after construction. Results from this study are predicated by the available data, which likely does not include information for all dams or dam failures.
@article{dupuis2023estimated, title = {Estimated Rates of Failure for Dams in the United States}, author = {Dupuis, Michael and de Melo, Lucas and Rix, Glenn}, year = {2023}, journal = {Dam Safety Journal}, publisher = {Association of State Dam Safety Officials}, note = {Presented at the Dam Safety 2023 Conference}, }
Earthquakes
Progress Towards Hybrid Broadband Ground-Motion Simulation of Megathrust Earthquakes on the Hikurangi Subduction Zone

Michael Dupuis, James M. Paterson, Robin L. Lee, and 1 more author

Canadian Conference - Pacific Conference on Earthquake Engineering (CCEE-PCEE) 2023 Proceedings, 2023

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The Hikurangi Subduction Zone in New Zealand can produce very large megathrust earthquakes similar to the 2004 Sumatra Mw9.2, 2010 Maule Mw8.8, and 2011 Tohoku Mw9.0 earthquakes. Although the associated ground motions would pose significant seismic hazard to much of New Zealand, the last known large earthquake of this type in New Zealand occurred around 1855 and therefore no observed ground-motion records are available. In this study, we present progress towards simulation of realistic ground motions from megathrust earthquakes along the Hikurangi Subduction Zone using physics-based hybrid broadband ground-motion simulation. Although ground-motion simulations have been previously performed for megathrust earthquakes on the Hikurangi Subduction Zone, this study is the first to incorporate simulation models validated using observed ground motions from subduction interface earthquakes in New Zealand. Ground-motion simulations will be conducted for probable scenarios to produce a distribution of ground-motion estimates of various intensity metrics for locations throughout New Zealand. Ground-motion sensitivity to rupture characteristics such as hypocentre location, subevent location, rupture velocity, and variation of subfault slip will be investigated and quantified. It is hoped that the interface-specific simulated waveforms and estimated ground-motion intensities will be useful for seismic hazard analysis, risk mitigation, and disaster preparedness.
@article{dupuis2023progress, title = {Progress Towards Hybrid Broadband Ground-Motion Simulation of Megathrust Earthquakes on the Hikurangi Subduction Zone}, author = {Dupuis, Michael and Paterson, James M. and Lee, Robin L. and Bradley, Brendon A.}, year = {2023}, journal = {Canadian Conference - Pacific Conference on Earthquake Engineering (CCEE-PCEE) 2023 Proceedings}, volume = {1}, pages = {1--7}, }

2022

Earthquakes
Insights from the 2021 New Zealand strong ground motion database

J Hutchinson, Brendon Bradley, Robin Lee, and 7 more authors

2022

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New Zealand has a wide variety of tectonic settings and environments, which experience earthquakes to varying degrees of severity. The shaking experienced by an earthquake is quantified by strong ground motion intensity measures, which must be computed and collated into a consistent catalogue. We present information regarding the development and implementation of the 2021 New Zealand strong ground motion database. Strong motion intensity measures have been computed for events with magnitudes equal to or greater than 4 from 2000 through the end of 2021. Along with these intensity measures, we have determined earthquake rupture properties, recomputed earthquake magnitudes, determined event tectonic classifications, and derived source-receiver propagation path information. This information is compiled in several tables, which comprise the entire database. This database establishes a unified, expandable catalogue necessary for implementation with hazard modelling studies for a wide variety of regions across New Zealand.
@article{hutchinson2022insights, title = {Insights from the 2021 New Zealand strong ground motion database}, author = {Hutchinson, J and Bradley, Brendon and Lee, Robin and Schill, Claudio and Dupuis, Mike and Motha, Jason and van Houtte, Chris and Kaiser, Anna and Manea, Elena and Wotherspoon, Liam}, year = {2022}, }

2021

Earthquakes

IM_residual_contour_BE_res_pSA_1.0000.png

Insights from ground-motion simulation validation of New Zealand small magnitude subduction earthquakes

Michael R. Dupuis, Robin L. Lee, and Brendon A. Bradley

2021

Bib POSTER

@article{dupuis2021insights,
  title = {Insights from ground-motion simulation validation of New Zealand small magnitude subduction earthquakes},
  author = {Dupuis, Michael R. and Lee, Robin L. and Bradley, Brendon A.},
  year = {2021},
}

2020

Machine Learning

A neural network for ground motion quality classification from New Zealand earthquakes of variable magnitudes and tectonic types

Michael Dupuis, Claudio Schill, Robin Lee, and 1 more author

2020

Bib POSTER

@article{dupuis2020neural,
  title = {A neural network for ground motion quality classification from New Zealand earthquakes of variable magnitudes and tectonic types},
  author = {Dupuis, Michael and Schill, Claudio and Lee, Robin and Bradley, Brendon},
  year = {2020},
}

2014

Structures
Seismic performance of shear wall buildings with gravity-induced lateral demands

Michael R Dupuis, Tyler DD Best, Kenneth J Elwood, and 1 more author

Canadian Journal of Civil Engineering, 2014

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Architectural features and other irregularities in the gravity system which apply gravity-induced lateral demands to the seismic force resisting system are being incorporated in new buildings. These gravity-induced demands have raised concerns due to the perceived potential for a ratcheting effect to occur during seismic loading. This paper summarizes the results of a study to identify if there are behavioral trends not recognized within the scope of current building codes. To this end, a nonlinear, parametric study was conducted in OpenSees to investigate the inelastic response of concrete shear wall buildings with a range of design characteristics, including gravity-induced lateral demands. The results demonstrated that a seismic ratcheting effect can develop and amplify inelastic displacement demands. The effect is significantly more prevalent in coupled shear walls compared with cantilevered shear walls. An irregularity class to address buildings with gravity-induced lateral demands on the seismic force resisting system is proposed for the 2015 National Building Code of Canada.
@article{dupuis2014seismic, title = {Seismic performance of shear wall buildings with gravity-induced lateral demands}, author = {Dupuis, Michael R and Best, Tyler DD and Elwood, Kenneth J and Anderson, Donald L}, journal = {Canadian Journal of Civil Engineering}, volume = {41}, number = {4}, pages = {323--332}, year = {2014}, publisher = {NRC Research Press}, }
Structures
Seismic Performance of Shear Wall Buildings with Gravity-Induced Lateral Demands

M Baradaran Shoraka, MR Dupuis, J Macauley, and 3 more authors

2014

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Building structural systems are commonly idealized as two distinct systems: a seismic force resisting system (SFRS), designed to resist lateral demands during strong ground shaking, and a gravity system, designed to support gravity loads and detailed to withstand imposed lateral deformations during seismic response without loss of gravity-load support. However, current architectural trends have resulted in modern buildings with inclined facades and irregularities in the gravity system that applies gravity-induced lateral demands to the SFRS. Any impact the gravity system may have on the response of the SFRS is not currently considered during the design process or in current building codes. This paper summarizes the results of a study to identify if there are behavioral trends not recognized within the scope of current building codes. To this end, a nonlinear, parametric study was conducted in a structural analysis platform to investigate the inelastic response of concrete shear wall buildings including gravity-induced lateral demands with a range of design characteristics at various hazard levels. The results demonstrate that a seismic ratcheting effect can develop and amplify inelastic displacement demands that lead to an increase in the structural collapse metrics. The effect is significantly more prevalent in coupled shear walls compared with cantilevered shear walls. An irregularity class to address buildings with gravity-induced lateral demands on the seismic force resisting system is proposed for the National Building Code of Canada.
@article{shoraka2014seismic, title = {Seismic Performance of Shear Wall Buildings with Gravity-Induced Lateral Demands}, author = {Shoraka, M Baradaran and Dupuis, MR and Macauley, J and Elwood, KJ and Anderson, DL and Simpson, R}, year = {2014}, }

2012

Structures
Seismic performance of buildings with permanent lateral demands

Michael Robert Leo Dupuis

University of British Columbia, 2012

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Architectural features and other irregularities in the gravity system which apply permanent lateral demands to the seismic force resisting system are being incorporated in new buildings. These permanent lateral demands raised concerns within the Standing Committee on Earthquake Design due to the perceived potential for a seismic ratcheting effect to occur during seismic loading. Nonlinear, parametric analyses were conducted in OpenSees to investigate the inelastic response of cantilevered and coupled shear wall buildings. The sensitivity of these buildings to permanent lateral demands was investigated across a domain of structural parameters including building height, building strength, and permanent lateral demands. Additional case studies considered the effect of vertical ground motions, subduction ground motions, coupling ratio, seismic demands, and investigated the behaviour of steel-braced frame buildings. The results demonstrate that a seismic ratcheting effect can develop and amplify inelastic deformation demands. The extent of ratcheting increases with the permanent lateral demands and is also highly dependent upon the hysteretic behaviour exhibited by the structural system. Systems with fat hysteresis - such as coupled shear walls and steel braced frames - demonstrate greater ratcheting than systems with flag-shaped hysteresis - such as cantilevered shear walls. An irregularity class is proposed for the National Building Code of Canada which will limit the allowable permanent lateral demands when IEFaSa(0.2) ≥ 0.50. It is suggested to limit permanent lateral demands in coupled shear wall buildings and steel braced frame buildings to 10% of the yield strength required to resist earthquake loads. Cantilevered shear-wall buildings may be subjected to larger permanent lateral demands corresponding to 40% of the yield strength required to resist earthquake loads. The more conservative limit of 10% is recommended for seismic force resisting systems, such as moment frames, which were not considered in this study. Within these limits, it is recommended that an amplification factor of 1.5 - accounting for the increased inelastic deformation demands - be applied to design deformations. The extent of ratcheting in buildings with permanent lateral demands exceeding the proposed limits is large and variable; therefore, the performance of such buildings should be validated with nonlinear dynamic analysis.
@phdthesis{dupuis2012seismic, title = {Seismic performance of buildings with permanent lateral demands}, author = {Dupuis, Michael Robert Leo}, year = {2012}, school = {University of British Columbia}, }