A shake table investigation of dynamic behavior of pile supported bridges in liquefiable soil deposits

Bridges are a part of vital infrastructure,which should operate even after a disaster to keep emergency services running.There have been numerous bridge failures during major past earthquakes due to liquefaction.Among other categories of failures,mid span collapse(without the failure of abutments)of pile supported bridges founded in liquefiable deposits are still observed even in most recent earthquakes.This mechanism of collapse is attributed to the effects related to the differential elongation of natural period of the individual piers during liquefaction.A shake table investigation has been carried out in this study to verify mechanisms behind midspan collapse of pile supported bridges in liquefiable deposits.In this investigation,a typical pile supported bridge is scaled down,and its foundations pass through the liquefiable loose sandy soil and rest in a dense gravel layer.White noise motions of increasing acceleration magnitude have been applied to initiate progressive liquefaction and to characterize the dynamic features of the bridge.It has been found that as the liquefaction of the soil sets in,the natural frequency of individual bridge support is reduced,with the highest reduction occurring near the central spans.As a result,there is differential lateral displacement and bending moment demand on the piles.It has also been observed that for the central pile,the maximum bending moment in the pile will occur at a higher elevation,as compared to that of the interface of soils of varied stiffness,unlike the abutment piles.The practical implications of this research are also highlighted.

Assessment of natural frequency of installed offshore wind turbines using nonlinear finite element model considering soil-monopile interaction

A nonlinear finite element model is developed to examine the lateral behaviors of monopiles, which support offshore wind turbines(OWTs) chosen from five different offshore wind farms in Europe. The simulation is using this model to accurately estimate the natural frequency of these slender structures, as a function of the interaction of the foundations with the subsoil. After a brief introduction to the wind power energy as a reliable alternative in comparison to fossil fuel, the paper focuses on concept of natural frequency as a primary indicator in designing the foundations of OWTs. Then the range of natural frequencies is provided for a safe design purpose. Next, an analytical expression of an OWT natural frequency is presented as a function of soil-monopile interaction through monopile head springs characterized by lateral stiffness KL, rotational stiffness KRand cross-coupling stiffness KLRof which the differences are discussed. The nonlinear pseudo three-dimensional finite element vertical slices model has been used to analyze the lateral behaviors of monopiles supporting the OWTs of different wind farm sites considered. Through the monopiles head movements(displacements and rotations), the values of KL, KRand KLRwere obtained and substituted in the analytical expression of natural frequency for comparison. The comparison results between computed and measured natural frequencies showed an excellent agreement for most cases. This confirms the convenience of the finite element model used for the accurate estimation of the monopile head stiffness.

Experimental p-y curves for liquefied soils from centrifuge tests

The present study aims to obtain p-y curves(Winkler spring properties for lateral pile-soil interaction)for liquefied soil from 12 comprehensive centrifuge test cases where pile groups were embedded in liquefiable soil.The p-y curve for fully liquefied soil is back-calculated from the dynamic centrifuge test data using a numerical procedure from the recorded soil response and strain records from the instrumented pile.The p-y curves were obtained for two ground conditions:(a)lateral spreading of liquefied soil,and(b)liquefied soil in level ground.These ground conditions are simulated in the model by having collapsing and non-collapsing intermittent boundaries,which are modelled as quay walls.The p-y curves back-calculated from the centrifuge tests are compared with representative reduced API p-y curves for liquefied soils(known as p-multiplier).The response of p-y curves at full liquefaction is presented and critical observations of lateral pile-soil interaction are discussed.Based on the results of these model tests,guidance for the construction of p-y curves for use in engineering practice is also provided.